


Never Break the Chain

by peppermintjong



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural (TV) Fusion, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Light Bondage, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Violence, Voyeurism, Witchcraft, hunter!jongdae, joohyun/seulgi as a side pairing, these tags are so dark but it’s mainly graphic violence lol, witch!sehun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-06-22 05:30:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15574815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintjong/pseuds/peppermintjong
Summary: In which Jongdae, hunter of all things unnatural, does not and cannot have feelings for the elusive, powerful witch that has him racing all over the country in an endless game of cat-and-mouse.Title taken from Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi y’all it’s been a minute since i’ve posted anything! i’m working on about four fics atm so i’m gonna do the same thing with this one as i did the last one i posted- push it out in chapters and hopefully i’ll get to writing more lmao
> 
> anyways this is obviously a supernatural!au, jongdae was inspired by dean winchester and sehun was inspired by a mix of rowena and max banes. i don’t think y’all need to have seen spn before to understand this fic!! it’s pretty watered down to what i wanted out of the show lol but uh yeah enjoy the first chapter? ahahah

Jongdae shoulders the door open, breaking the lock with the force of it, his hand already pulling his pistol out of his waistband as he scans the room, to the large table with assorted roots and skulls and spices. Behind the table is who Jongdae has been hunting for ten months now, with hardly any other hunts in between to distract him.

 

"Jongdae," the man greets without even looking up from his book.

 

"Sehun," he replies, steps careful as he moves closer, eyes darting around for any wards on the walls. The smell of burning plants mixed with something very off has Jongdae's stomach turning unpleasantly but he doesn't back down; can't back down now.

 

Sehun sighs as he crushes something atop the table before placing it in the bowl beside his book. "You know that little play toy won't kill me," he says airily, his eyes glowing purple as he adds another  ingredient to his spell, muttering something the other can't quite catch.

 

"That's where you're wrong Sehun," Jongdae says and that gets the witch's attention. He's a little offended he causes such little distress to the other; since when did he become something that witches no longer fear? It's no matter though, now. "You see this gun is loaded with bullets that have some nice little etchings on them -," he pauses to wave it for emphasis, "- and they can sure as hell kill you."

 

"Oh look at you," Sehun snarks, lips quirking as he returns to picking leaves off their stems, grinding them and placing them in with the rest. "You've finally upgraded. Too bad they still won't work."

 

Jongdae snorts, though his stomach is starting to heave as the smell from the bowl becomes more toxic. "And why won't they?" he demands.

 

"Because -," the witch starts in a tone that makes Jongdae feel like a child, "- I've already safeguarded myself against you silly hunters' bullets and weapons."

 

He stops preparing to look up, his irises glowing with that same eerie purple as he rounds the table and waves his outstretched palm slowly along the length of his forearm. Runes float in the air just above Sehun's skin, illuminated the same colour as his eyes, before dissipating. The colour leaves his eyes as well, leaving him looking impossibly young and vulnerable, but Jongdae knows better. He steps closer to Jongdae and his gun is aimed at him instantly, his nerves on edge when Sehun merely smirks at the gesture.

 

"I set these wards into my blood Jongdae over sixty years ago when you hunters started popping up more frequently," he says lightly, stepping closer, grinning when Jongdae's aim falters. "They protect me against almost any attack, of any form. They're near impossible to remove and even harder to overcome. Only the highest witches of the Coven might be able to create something that would overpower them but, well. You're not exactly a head priestess."

 

Jongdae feels stupid now, barging in with only a mere gun that Sehun keeps glancing at in amusement, so he places it back in his waistband. The stench is near overbearing now. "What is that?" he asks when he can no longer stand the smell, pinching his nose so he'll stop inhaling the horrendous concoction.

 

"That is a spell to create an army of the living dead," Sehun answers, laughing when Jongdae looks at him in alarm. "I'm just kidding, hunter. It's just to help hide me from your lot."

 

Jongdae doesn't know why but the answer makes his stomach swoop. He squares his shoulders and says, "I'll find you."

 

"Oh hunter," Sehun sighs fondly, and for some reason the name makes Jongdae bristle. He steps into the other's space and Jongdae almost forgets that the other is a witch, far older than his unblemished complexion shows, that Jongdae is a hunter who is supposed to put down beings like him. Sehun's hand comes up and cups Jongdae's face gently, swiping his thumb over his cheek and the hunter can't breathe when he leans in, his lips beside his ear when he whispers, "I'm counting on it."

 

Sehun is back behind the table in an instant and Jongdae blinks rapidly, heart beating too fast and mind moving too slow as Sehun grabs what looks like a bird skull, cracking it in his bare hand and throwing it onto the ground.

 

" _Effugium_!" Sehun shouts and his whole body burns a bright indigo, currents of energy pulsing like electricity over his skin and he glows, brighter and brighter until Jongdae has to cover his eyes lest he blind himself. There's a sharp crack that reverberates through the hunter's bones and then deafening silence, Jongdae chancing a glance through the now hazy room to find the table unoccupied.

 

Sehun is out of his grasp.

 

"Fuck," Jongdae spits, running a hand down his face.

 

 

-

 

 

His car door shrieks as he opens it, sliding in and slamming it closed with more force than necessary. He grabs the bottle of water on the passenger seat and takes a swig, trying to wash out the taste of magic out of his mouth. He's at a loss now; it took him over three months to track Sehun here and just like that, he's in the wind again, and Jongdae has no clue where to start. He starts the ignition, staring at the exterior of the home he was just in until he shakes his head, peeling away from the curb and heading back to his hotel room.

 

The concierge looks at him with a frown but says nothing as Jongdae passes him, and it's only when he's on the elevator he sees his reflection in the dull steel staring back at him. There's dirt and leaves and glowing indigo flecks all over his face and through his hair. He looks like he lost a fight with a glowstick.

 

Opening the door to his room he flicks the lights on, throws his keys and wallet on the bed before shucking off his jacket, stalking into the bathroom to wash his hands and face roughly. He glances at the threadbare shirt he's wearing once he towels off the residual water on his skin, plucking it between two fingers and pulling it away from his chest, eventually letting it fall back into place. Another thing he needs to buy: clothes. And no money to buy them with.

 

"Mmm that shirt looks good on you," a voice says behind him and he whirls around, gun in hand to find a certain orange-haired witch sitting on his bed. "Whoa, down big boy."

 

"What the fuck are you doing here Sehun?" Jongdae hisses, definitely ignoring the way Sehun's eyes roam up and down his body with an approving smile. "How did you get into my room?"

 

"Relax," Sehun says instead, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm not actually here."

 

"What?"Jongdae takes a step forward, eyes never leaving Sehun's.

 

"That spell I was working on when you found me -," he begins, patting the bed next to him in invitation. Jongdae cocks his gun. "Fine. That spell wasn't actually what I said it was for."

 

"What was it for then?" Jongdae asks, wary.

 

"You," Sehun says softly and Jongdae's stomach plummets. "Well, would have been until you interrupted me, of course."

 

He pats the bed again for the hunter to sit down next to him and when Jongdae still doesn't budge he sighs, exasperated. Jongdae blinks and Sehun is right before him, hand reaching out.

 

He fires the first round in panic, squeezing his eyes shut.

 

His ears ring as the sound ricochets through the small hotel room, and he opens his eyes to an empty bed - no blood and no body.

 

 

"That wasn't very nice," Sehun says right by his ear and he jumps, spinning around. The witch has his hands outstretched in a placating gesture, though his voice is anything but. "Look you can keep shooting, hunter, but it won't do you any good. The bullets won't strike because I'm not actually here. This is merely a projection."

 

Jongdae lowers his gun slowly, frowning. "How?"

 

"Check your pocket," he says, smirking.

 

Sehun's image fully grins when Jongdae pulls out the hex bag, light coloured leather with an intricate sigil seared into its exterior. He squeezes it in his fist, biting his lip as he chastises himself for being so stupid. He thinks back to Sehun getting up close and personal back at that house - it was so he could sneak it onto Jongdae's person.

 

"Why?" he asks, throwing the bag on the bed angrily. "Why go to the trouble if you don't want to be found by me?"

 

"I never said that," Sehun says, looking away like he's trying to collect his thoughts.

 

"Then why," he grits out through clenched teeth.

 

"I want you to try to find me," the witch answers softly, eyes fluttering shut. "You're the only hunter who's been able to find me through my previous wards."

 

 “You want to play cat and mouse?” Jongdae spits. “You think this is all a game?”

 

“Is it not?” he counters, sauntering up to the hunter with a lazy smirk. His skin flashes purple, a ripple effect showing how he isn’t actually here. “That hex bag isn’t going to work much longer,” he sighs.

 

“Why don’t you come here in person then,” Jongdae whispers, looking up at Sehun when he steps into his space. He goes to rest his hand on Sehun’s chest and is surprised that it doesn’t fall through the visage at all, that it meets solid flesh. “We can talk it all out.”

 

“I would love to,” Sehun sighs like he’s pained. “But you and I have very different ideas on what we would be doing in a shabby hotel if I were here truly -,” he pauses to place his hand over Jongdae’s, “- and I know your play well enough to know you are toying with me right now.”

 

His visage ripples again and Jongdae doesn’t have time to react when Sehun brings his hand up to his mouth, kissing it ever so gently and it feels so real, Jongdae’s heart stopping at the gesture. Sehun whispers, “venuint ad me invenient,” smiling just as he fades into nothing and Jongdae is scrambling to find a pen and paper to write it down.

 

 

After skimming through all of his latin spellbooks and finding none that include the words Sehun uttered, Jongdae sulkily opens his laptop, booting it up whilst he pushes his hair up out of his face with a hand. The device whirs to life, only on sleep before, and Jongdae reopens his browser, clicking into google translate. He types in what Sehun said, having to wait for the shitty hotel wifi to load the translation.

 

_Come find me._

 

Jongdae sighs, closing the laptop. He drums his fingers against the tabletop, mulling over the words. Why would he say it in latin? Did Sehun know him well enough to know he would think it a spell? And that Jongdae would search for it? Or is he just used to the mother tongue of all witches?

 

He rubs his eyes, stalking to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of beer, cracking it open and sipping gingerly. A little lost as to what to do next with this case, he finishes his drink and heads into the bathroom, turning the shower on and undressing whilst it slowly brings hot water through the old pipes.

 

He scrubs his skin thoroughly and quickly, years of being taught to take as little time for menial things still ingrained into him long after he’s left his hunter family. He dries off, cleans his teeth and brushes his fingers through his wet hair, methodical in his routine as he dresses in some clean clothes and checks his phone. Two missed calls and a voicemail from Kyungsoo. He swipes the notification to open the app and calls the voicemail system.

 

“Hey I haven’t heard from you in four days, would it kill you to pick up your phone? Please call me, I’m worried.”

 

Jongdae bites his lip. He’d been so focused on finding Sehun that he hadn’t even bothered checking in with his hunter ‘family’. He dials Kyungsoo’s number and brings the phone up to his ear, fiddling with the Hotel Rules pamphlet as he waits for the line to connect. After the fourth ring the man picks up.

 

“Asshole.”

 

Jongdae exhales loudly, in a fond manner, lips quirking at his friend’s familiar attitude. After this whole mess of a job with Sehun all he wants is a little familiarity, something comfortable he can ground himself with. “Sorry about not checking in, I got caught up with the job.”

 

“Did you put a bullet through the witch’s head?” Kyungsoo asks so bluntly that Jongdae flinches, stomach dropping at the thought. When he doesn’t answer Kyungsoo snorts. “Figures.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“So you’ve got a weird boner for this witch -“

 

“No I don’t Soo what the fuck -“

 

“Oh please. Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot,” Kyungsoo says and Jongdae can imagine him rolling his eyes on the other end of the line. He continues softly, “You’ve never hesitated before.”

 

The words sink into Jongdae’s stomach, unsettling in their truth. He’s never thought twice about killing monsters- he just did, killed the way he was taught to kill with no second thoughts about it. There’s just something about Sehun that makes him restless, a curiosity that has spurred him on to find him every time he slips through his fingers.

 

“Look don’t think about it too much,” Kyungsoo lowers his voice and Jongdae can hear faint shouts beyond his friend’s voice. “We’ve all faltered before.”

 

“I haven’t,” Jongdae says, throat suddenly thick.

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything for a while, just the patrons of his bar shouting filtering through the speaker. “It’s okay Jongdae,” he finally says. “It’ll be okay.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Jongdae needs to remind himself of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Fleetwood Mac on repeat writing this fic it just vibes nicely lmao  
> I’m also posting this from my phone so I’m sorry if it’s a mess! I’ll fix it later ahahaha
> 
>  
> 
> Let me know if y’all like it so far!! xx


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has uhhh,,,,some disturbing scenes so if y'all get squeamish it might not be the chapter for you ahhhh

Jongdae throws the empty fries packet onto the passenger seat, huffing loudly through his nose as he chews. He's been surveying the house from across the street for an hour already and he's _bored_. Kyungsoo gave him information of a possible Rugaru just outside Gyeongju so he high-tailed it out of Ulsan, leaving memories of purple eyes and broad shoulders behind him, but he hasn't seen or heard anything out of the ordinary since he came here three days ago; the woman he's been following going about her normal human business with no flesh-eating tendencies.

He really should get a good night's sleep, at least more than the three hours he's getting now. Jongdae checks the time - 6:45 pm. He could go back to his hotel and crash now, get some much needed shut-eye, but some deep instinct tells him not to, to hold out and stay a little longer.

Unwrapping his burger, he bites into it as he raises his binoculars to where the woman had been preparing dinner for herself and her husband - and promptly chokes on the mouthful at the sight in the kitchen.

The woman is scoffing down bloody, uncooked steak, tearing viciously into the flesh with her teeth and swallowing the chunks whole, consuming the whole meal that was meant for herself and her husband. Jongdae grimaces and throws his burger down on its wrapper, appetite completely gone.

He watches her for a while longer, as she struggles to not eat the other meat she pulls out and cooks quickly as a replacement, and weighs his options. He could go and kill her now - saving time and possible casualties in the case that she were to give in to her hunger - or he could wait it out a couple more days and keep watch, see if she can fend it off.

 

He decides to call Joohyun.

 

"Hey darl," comes through after the fifth ring, her breathing laboured.

"You alright?" Jongdae asks, dropping his binoculars and frowning as he stares at his steering wheel.

Joohyun grunts, a sickening slick sound followed by a loud thud echoing after. She lets out a breathy giggle. "Yeah fine now," she says. "Just finishin' off a nest of vampires."

"Why did you answer your phone then?" he says, frown deepening. "You could've gotten hurt."

"I've been doin' this a lot longer than you hon," she drawls. "Plus I haven't heard your voice in a while. Not gonna send you to voicemail when you finally decide to call."

He feels chastised. "I'm sorry I've just been busy with -"

"The witch you wanna fuck," she interjects, cackling at Jongdae's protests. "Kyungsoo told me the other day you'd been chasin' him again, and I don't judge sugar. You gotta do what you gotta do."

 

Jongdae shifts in his seat, discomfort crawling under his skin. What Joohyun's said, so flippantly at that, makes his stomach turn more than any monster he's gone up against. He can't be interested in someone he's been trained to kill, his mind rejecting the idea instantly.

"Did you need somethin'?" Joohyun asks when he doesn't say anything for a while.

"Oh," he shakes his head to focus. "So I'm on Rugaru watch and she just ate a whole bunch of raw meat, like...ugh, yeah. But she hasn't fed on a human yet and I dunno if I..."

"Should kill her and get it over with or explain what she is to her and hope she don't kill you in the process?" Joohyun supplies cheerily. Jongdae can hear the wet sound of her wiping blood off her blade.

"Yeah."

"Hon, if you've gotta ask me if you should hunt a monster or save it I think you've been shaken a bit too much," she says sternly.

"Yeah alright," he sighs, looking down at the binoculars in his lap as he bites his lip.

"Sugar I gotta go, you know Seulgi hates the cleanup," she sighs but it's a fond sound. "You don't be a stranger now, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Bye Jongdae."

 

He sits there for a minute to collect himself, trying to shake the unsettling feeling that falls upon him. Bringing his binoculars back up he tries to find the woman again but she isn't in the kitchen anymore, and after checking all lit windows he finds she's nowhere to be seen. Jongdae has a bad feeling about it, and it's confirmed when he hears a loud shout even from where he's sitting across the road. He's out of the car instantly, blowtorch and hairspray in hand as he sprints across and into the couple's yard.

He rounds the house and climbs the few steps onto the patio, the floorboards creaking as he steps. Jongdae enters through the back door, not liking one bit how quiet the house is; the television is still on but no one is in the room, almost all of the lights are off this end of the house and Jongdae's heart is pounding so hard he's sure he can actually hear it. He keeps his footsteps as light as possible, wishing his boots would somehow be more quiet as they squeak against the lacquered wooden floor. There's a sick slurping noise that makes Jongdae jump, walking towards the sound warily, blowtorch up and fingers ready to ignite it in an instant. When he steps around the corner he almost throws up at the sight before him.

A massive pool of blood is spreading around the man, and Jongdae's eyes track the slow progress it makes across the floor for a beat before taking in the sight of his body. His eyes are unseeing as they stare up at the ceiling, his mouth open like he was mid-scream. There's huge flecks of blood along his face, chunks of muscle and sinew strung along his skin and caught in his hair. Jongdae steps a little closer in a daze, avoiding the intestines that have spilled out of the huge crater that now makes up his torso. He breathes through his mouth as movement finally catches his attention, the woman tilting her head upwards as she munches through what Jongdae thinks is her husband's kidney, making these little sounds of satisfaction as she swallows it down. She stills and looks at Jongdae suddenly and he can't help the way his mouth twists in disgust at the blood that drips down her chin and staining the collar of her shirt. Her skin in translucent, prominent blue and red veins stretching grotesquely over her face, pulsing, looking every bit the monster she is.

"What's happening to me?" she asks, voice sounding wet. Her eyes are pitch black.

"You're a monster," Jongdae says as calmly as he can. The blood is starting to creep up to his shoes so he takes a small step back. "Your mother or father would've been one as well."

"I can - I can stop it can't I?" she asks, shifting to face him properly. The blood has seeped into more of her pale blue shirt.

"You could have if you hadn't eaten your husband," Jongdae replies, bringing the blowtorch up to aim at her.

"I won't do it again I promise," she pleads but he's already shaking his head; he's heard that too many times when he first started out, and they never kept their word.

"You're gonna want human flesh from now on," he says, moving around to be a little closer to her but not close enough that she could strike out at him. "And you'll get hungrier and hungrier, more than you are now, until you'll snap." He pauses before adding softly, "You'll kill again."

 

Her imploring eyes shutter instantly and she snarls, a guttural noise as she curls her lip, leaning back like she's about to launch herself at Jongdae but he's quicker, flicking the blowtorch on and spraying the aerosol before she has a chance to move off the floor. She shrieks as the flames lick her skin, bubbling and charring as she writhes on the floor. She pleads for her life but Jongdae is relentless and ruthless, just as he was taught to be, continuing to burn her alive.

He only stops when he can no longer hear her screaming and he lets out the breath he didn't realise he was holding as he stares at the charred face, unfeeling at the blistered and unrecognisable body now lying to the corpse of her husband. He feels sorry for the officers who'll stumble on this scene, but not enough to clean it up himself. He checks the soles of his boots in case he stepped in any blood before leaving, eyes darting all over the street as he sprints to his car.

 

The wheels squeal against the asphalt as he floors it out of town, getting as far away as possible. He stops only to fill his tank and grab snacks for the trip before he's reached Pohang, and it's only when he's in the heart of the city does he breathe a sigh of relief, slowing to the actual speed limit and taking in the sight of city lit up at night. The breeze that blows through his open windows is salty and cool, picking up off the water on the opposite side of the street. It's fresh and invigorating, taking his mind off the job even for a little while.

He pulls in to the first two-star hotel he comes across, cutting the engine and grabbing his duffel. He quickly books a room with a few too many notes than the room is worth, scrunching his nose at the not completely clean sheets as he starts to peel off his clothes. His shirt still smells of smoke and blood and he rids himself of it as quickly as possible, tossing it on the floor somewhere behind him as he makes for the bathroom. Turning the shower on he tries not to think of blistered skin, chewed organs, instead scrubbing his skin until it's less ashy and more pink. He feels exhausted from the trip but much further down there's something else, a bone-deep emotion that keeps him on edge. He closes his eyes as he leans back into the spray of water, rinsing his hair, and purple eyes flash behind his lids. Jongdae sputters as he rights himself, wiping water out of his eyes as he tries to breathe steady.

Legs only slightly shaky, he steps out and towels off, dressing in some sweats and flicking the tv on as background noise whilst he sinks into his crappy bed, drying his hair roughly. He's worn out from the long hours on the road, worn out from the job; his eyes begin to close of their own volition and he barely pushes his shit off the bed before he lies down. The television drones on with a news report but he hears someone else as he drifts to sleep.

_Come find me, hunter._

Jongdae dreams of indigo eyes and orange hair.

 

-

 

Four months pass in a blur. A whole lot of dud jobs - rats in the ceiling instead of a vengeful spirit or faulty power lines causing the lights to flicker, not a demon - and dead ends when it comes to finding Sehun, but Jongdae is nothing if not persistent when caught up in a job, and this one has been going on for damn near two years now. It's frustrating and exhausting, pushing Jongdae to unloading countless rounds into anything he can, just for the temporary relief. He just might go insane if he doesn't, the constant circles Sehun has him running in driving him further to the edge.

He's in another shitty hotel, the wallpaper yellowed and peeling from the walls and the carpet with far too many questionable stains, when he gets a call from Kyungsoo. He puts down the barrel of his favourite semi he was cleaning and picks up his phone, cradling it between his ear and shoulder.

"Hey Soo," he says, resuming his cleaning.

"I found something," Kyungsoo says in place of a proper greeting. "Something I think you'll be very interested in."

"Oh yeah?" Jongdae drawls. Kyungsoo has said that about every damn job he's tried to lure Jongdae into.

"Yeah, he says, clearly smug about his information. "I found a witch."

Jongdae almost drops both the cloth and the barrel, breath caught in his throat. "You - what?"

"Don't worry it's not your precious little playtoy," Kyungsoo says and Jongdae doesn't know why he's disappointed, even more confused as to why he is _relieved_ that Kyungsoo didn't find him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he echoes. "Told me all about how to track witches, by their _magic_. Seems fairly easy, and something your playtoy would not expect you to know?"

Jongdae's breath catches in his throat. Could it really be that simple? "How does it work?" he asks eventually, Kyungsoo laughing airily on the other end of the line.

"Get a pen and paper and write this down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been pretty sick the past couple of days so not only is this late but also rushed and stilted so i apologise!
> 
> hopefully i'll have the next chapter up on time this sunday! x


	3. Chapter 3

Jongdae bites his lip, eyes roaming over the ingredients he accrued for the spell. The witch Kyungsoo had interrogated said it was a simple spell, made easier if you had something the witch you were seeking had possessed at some point. Jongdae's eyes catch on the hex bag Sehun had hidden on him all those months ago, sitting atop a pile of rosemary, and wonders if it's enough to make this work.

He feels dirty, wrong, as he preps for the spell. Kyungsoo had sent him the bowl, runes engraved around the rim in dainty scrawl, created by the witch he had kept for a few weeks after their phone call. Jongdae had been linked via skype to watch Kyungsoo interrogate the witch, named Baekhyun, for more information on how to track witches through their magic. Jongdae squirmed at what Kyungsoo did to get the witch to talk, always had been the softer of the two when it came to interrogating. He had to bear witness to Baekhyun taking more than one fist to his face, bruised and bleeding, before he eventually spat out a venomous " _stop_ " and Kyungsoo leaned back to ask the questions he wanted.

Jongdae couldn't help but feel sorry every time Kyungsoo's hand landed on Baekhyun's form, knuckles splitting skin each time the witch refused to tell an ingredient or a step of the process. Once he had finally given everything up about the spell, hours after it started, Baekhyun's left eye was swollen shut and where his skin was not broken and bleeding it's purple and blue, and yet he still had the energy to send the computer a grin, blood dripping over his lip.

Kyungsoo was walking over to end the call when the witch coughed up a laugh, wheezing out, "Good luck with Sehun, hunter," before the line disconnected and Jongdae was left staring at his laptop screen with a unnerving feeling tingle down his spine.

 

Jongdae shakes his head to focus, picking three sprigs of rosemary out of the bunch and laying them gently in the bowl, letting out a shaky breath. He's doing this so he can end it all, can track Sehun down and finish this, but he still feels like he's betraying every rule he abides by as a hunter by casting a spell to find him. Does that not make him what he hunts?

He doesn't have time to think about it. Baekhyun had said that the spell had to be cast in the light of a waxing moon and it's dusk now, so he follows the instructions quickly and methodically to make sure it's ready by the time the moon is at peak. Jongdae cuts the hex bag into four pieces, mixes five teaspoons of aconite and red pepper - aconite for invisibility and protection, red pepper so Sehun can't tell he's the one casting the spell, according to Baekhyun - and three feathers of an osprey.

Jongdae makes sure to clean his hands thoroughly, not wishing to get the aconite or pepper anywhere near his mouth. And then all the spell needs is his blood; five drops, no more and no less. He dreads to think how much a spell can be altered should he even add one more drop or one more feather.

He rips open the sterile packaging of his needle and, with a deep breath, pricks his index finger, focused as he counts the drops carefully as he squeezes them out, sucking on the fingertip to stem the flow. Jongdae knows it's almost time by the slant of the moonlight streaming through the window, illuminating the table before him in its eerie glow. He checks the time, counting down the minutes until it's ready, so he throws his phone down carelessly on the tabletop, his heart racing as he picks up his matches.

Jongdae doesn't get a second chance to think about what he's doing, chanting the incantation written at the bottom of his list as he lights a match, throwing it into the bowl and jumping when the flame catches, igniting a garish bright green and growing bigger and brighter as he continues chanting the spell. There's a strange pulse through Jongdae's veins, bubbling up his neck and to the back of his skull, pounding harder and harder. It gets far more difficult to chant when the pulsing gets worse but he manages to complete it through gritted teeth, green runes floating up through the flames before him, running higher and higher as the pounding in his head starts to become unbearable and he grips his head tight as he staggers back from the fire that is almost to the ceiling.

He starts to panic, knowing something isn't right as the fire crackles with tiny bolts of lightning, the green turning to a deep purple. His skull feels like it's being smashed against a wall, and he cries out as he crumples to the floor, barely able to make out the flames dimming down through the greying of his vision.

 

_"Oh hunter."_

Jongdae pants heavily as he realises the pain has abated and he glances around the room, hoping this was how the spell was supposed to go. He drags himself up to his feet and hobbles over to the table, looking into the bowl.

_"Sweet Jongdae, that bowl is a little too small to fit me in there don't you think?"_

Jongdae stiffens, knowing that time definitely wasn't his imagination. He swivels around and checks all corners of the room for Sehun but he's nowhere to be seen and Jongdae feels his stomach plummet to his feet.

"Sehun?"

His head throbs dully as he hears the witch laugh. _"Yes, dear?"_ He sounds delighted.

"How are you doing this? How are you talking to me?" he grits out. Another laugh bounces off the walls.

_"This was all of your making, hunter. I just accepted the connection."_

"What?" Jongdae is struggling to breathe.

 

His vision blanks and he gasps as an image of Sehun sitting before a mirror surfaces from the darkness, draped casually across an opulent bed. The witch's hair is now a soft pink and Jongdae has half a thought of how he suits that colour as well. His cheekbones cast harsh shadows, contrasting with his soft mouth even as he smirks at his reflection. Jongdae is so freaked out, his breathing ragged as he blindly feels for the leg of the table and follows it down until he's sitting on the hard floor.

 _"Hmm, yes. I can taste -"_ he pauses and Jongdae can see Sehun lick his fingertips, _"- is that red pepper in your spell, hunter?"_ He sounds so patronising.

Mirage Sehun stands up, moving around the large bed to a pretty coffee table where a single sheet of paper, edges tattered and lettering faded with age, sits atop, and the image shifts to the actual paper itself- it's a list of ingredients and an incantation at the end. It's almost the exact same as the spell Baekhyun had given them except one ingredient is different: instead of five teaspoons of red pepper it has six tablespoons of tormentil. Jongdae thinks he might be sick.

 _"Baekhyun and I have an...interesting relationship. We had a falling out centuries ago but alliances forged between witches against any threat to us still stands, it seems."_ Sehun's face reappears and he's grinning, handsome and deadly. _"He sent me a message after your_ friend,” he spits out the word venomously, _"tortured him for details on how to track witches. The hunter let slip my name when he was calling you and Baekhyun knew how to alter the spell to work it in my favour."_

Jongdae closes his eyes, only realising he's crying by the wetness on his cheeks. He doesn't want to hear anymore, doesn't want to see Sehun's smug smile anymore, but he can't stop this no matter how much he tries to will the image away. The witch is laying on his bed, cotton candy hair parting away from his forehead making him look soft, eyelids drooping.

_"What you should have used instead of red pepper was tormentil, which would have concealed you. Magic, especially spellwork that involves blood, is all based on connection. It's a sort of bond between either ends of the spell, hence why witches usually conceal themselves so they can't be trapped.”_

Jongdae blinks rapidly, hands shaky as he feels his face, wiping his cheeks. Sehun hums, tongue swiping over his lower lip and it feels like he's staring right at Jongdae. He can't breathe.

_"Red pepper however, does not protect you and instead helps make the spellcaster's mind more susceptible to attacks. You're quite lucky no other entity tried to access your mind before I locked our connection.”_

He wants to claw his eyes out, as if that would make this stop. "You did this to me," he gasps out.

 _"No, you did this to yourself,"_ Sehun snaps back and he's right.

"I want to see again," he whimpers pathetically. Sehun's face shutters in the image, brows eventually drawing together.

 _"You did this,"_ he repeats and Jongdae lets out a sob. _"Do not fret my little hunter. This way I won't have to create any more temporary connections between us. I'll make this easier too -"_

He stops just as Sehun's face ripples to the outside of a hotel, towering high, and Sehun supplies that he's in Bucheon for the next three weeks. _"If you would like to join me,"_ he says and his face surfaces in Jongdae's mind, smiling sweetly. _"We could get our money's worth of this room."_

He winks but Jongdae can't really focus, his ears ringing.

_"Come get me, Jongdae."_

 

Jongdae gasps like he's been underwater this whole time when the vision fades and the room he's in finally comes back into focus. He slowly takes in the dirty concrete floor, the cracked plaster of the walls, the absence of direct moonlight through the window. He wipes fresh tears with the back of his hands before pulling himself up on shaky legs, leaning on the table as he stares at the flecks of indigo muck glowing all over the table, sprayed over the piece of paper that got Jongdae into this. He feels a wave of anger or nausea, or both, crumpling the sheet in his hand as he struggles to take a deep enough breath. He needs to call Kyungsoo; needs to tell him to keep Baekhyun for a little longer so Jongdae can interrogate him himself, make him _pay_ for this.

He somehow manages to get himself to his hotel room, collapsing onto his bed without even bothering to take his shoes off, exhausted and frightened about what he's done and what could happen. His mind keeps racing, thinking of all the possibilities, but his body is ready to pass out; he's on the verge of sleep when his mind supplies an image of Sehun, laid out on his back in that room, clothes strewn haphazardly on the comforter around him. His stomach is toned and bare, one hand pinching a nipple and the other hand wrapped around his dick, face scrunching gorgeously as he thrusts his hips up, chasing friction. Jongdae echoes the moan Sehun let out, feeling himself getting hard as Sehun's hand speeds up, his voice pitching higher and higher until it peaks, voice breaking on the moan as he rides out his orgasm, spilling come over his stomach and hand. Sehun sighs, licking his lips as his eyes flutter shut, Jongdae letting out a pathetic little moan at the sight. He ruts down into the mattress, seeking friction as Sehun cleans himself up with a few tissues before the vision fades and he's acutely aware of how hard his dick is over a dream of him watching Sehun and he feels a little disgusted with himself. Jongdae stops his hips and forces his body to go lax, trying to not think of how beautiful Sehun looks when he comes.

Jongdae's last thought when he finally succumbs to sleep is wondering if his mind supplied the imagery or if Sehun did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't expecting to write this chapter like this but uh,,,here we are? lol  
> it's been a crazy week being sick as all hell and doing extra shifts so i'm sad i didn't get to write more on this chapter but i'll try and pump out some more this week uhu x


	4. Chapter 4

Three weeks of nothing.

He can feel it; the bond connecting their minds, like a buzz of noise in the back of his head that's hard to fully ignore. He's had nothing projected from Sehun's end of the bond, no images and no speaking between them but he's worried what Sehun can access, if he can see what Jongdae sees, what memories are brought to the forefront of his mind. He's also not sure how far this spell can go, how deep it embeds itself into both parties and he sure as hell doesn't want to find out.

He's been holed up in hotel rooms, flitting from city to city in his paranoia, worried Sehun will be able to pick up through their connection where he is and track _him_ down, like some clichéd prey turn predator shit that rattles him to the core. He still hasn't spoken to Kyungsoo despite the latter calling constantly. He'd texted him that it was done and hasn't said anything since, ignoring him so he doesn't have to face the disgust and condescension that he should've known better than to meddle with something so wrong, so volatile and unstable in nature at that.

 

Jongdae flicks through the channels as he shifts to get comfortable on his bed, finally landing on a local news channel when nothing else piques his interest, when he feels his connection spring to life, a louder ringing in his head and he gasps, pulse skyrocketing.

" _Hello my dear_ ," Sehun's voice drawls and Jongdae takes a shuddering breath in, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Sehun," he says aloud then frowns. _Can I think and you'll hear me?_

" _Yes I can hear you_ ," he replies, sounding amused. " _But if it makes you more comfortable you could always just meet me in person._ "

"Ha. And then what Sehun? You kill me?" he asks, biting his lip to stop himself from verbally speaking again. He's lucky he's in his hotel room.

" _If I wanted you dead it would've happened by now_ ," Sehun says, his nonchalance sending a small ripple of fear through Jongdae's body. " _I'm still hurt that you didn't accept my invitation two months ago._ "

 

Jongdae sighs, blinking away the weak image of Sehun pouting.  _As if I would walk into a trap so easily._

" _I mean if you wanted to be tied up and trapped to the bed I can do that_." His leer is clear through their connection and Jongdae is forced to see how Sehun would tie him up, hears Sehun hum at his imagination as he changes it subtly, Jongdae's legs bent and tied around his thighs so he can't extend them, the rope running up one of his sides to connect to the intricate hexagonal pattern tied around his bare chest. It's shameless how Sehun moans at his own conjured projection, even though he's only guessing how Jongdae looks and it leaves parts of Jongdae in the image blurry, like he can't focus his eyes properly.

 

 _Stop it_.

 _"You started it,"_ Sehun says, but acquiesces. Jongdae has to bite back a petty response. " _Anyway, I'm about to start something fun so I'm afraid I must end our call here, my pet._ "

Jongdae squints, staring at the television still playing but not hearing anything from it at all. _What are you doing?_ Jongdae asks before he can think to stop himself.

Sehun shows him what he's looking at: he's sitting on the floor, his crossed legs in view as he looks down at dried roots and a jar, filled with a deep crimson liquid and a label reading _lamb_ stuck to its side. There's a bowl with bones and some bright red powder sprinkled over them and Jongdae's heart rate picks up at the vision.

 _What are you doing?_ He repeats in his head as he shifts to sit up in his bed, hands curling in the comforter.

" _Come here and find out. I can tell you're close,_ " Sehun says, projecting a street sign before the front of an apartment building that's not even three blocks from the hotel Jongdae is staying at. He can't believe they're so close to each other and he had no idea, had been so preoccupied with keeping himself in his rooms that he never even thought to check for the usual signs of supernatural energy. " _Unless you don't want to, hunter."_

He drops the connection so suddenly that it has Jongdae gasping in surprise, gaining his bearings as he takes in his hotel room - the lit lamp on his bedside table, the small round table, the closed door to the bathroom - and takes a deep breath in. He moves on his exhale, slipping his feet into his boots beside his bed and tying them quickly, snatching up his keys and wallet before making for the door. Jongdae smiles apologetically at the startled housekeeper who's leaving the room next to his, trying not to run like a lunatic as he leaves the complex.

He's not sure what Sehun is up to but he knows it can't be good. Nothing good comes of witchcraft.

 

Speed-walking gets him there in under five minutes, the doors to the lobby wide open. It's only when he's entered does he realise he doesn't have a room or even a floor number and he feels dread crawl up his throat, racing up the staircase to the second floor. He stops at the landing between the two flights when realises he might be able to save himself some time, hopefully.

He swallows down bile as he tries to push out his thought. _Sehun?_

Nothing.

He thinks his name again, trying to make it sound louder in his head, but nothing again. How does Sehun do this?

"Sehun!" he ends up shouting aloud, grateful no one else is in the stairwell.

 _"Yes?"_ said man sounds amused. Jongdae can't stand it. He looks around even though he knows no one has come in but, still.

"Where are you?" he whispers, feeling stupid of all things. Embarrassed and ashamed that it takes this magic-borne call to do his job.

Sehun's laugh echoes through his skull. " _Room 805._ "

 

Jongdae cusses as he starts to move again, taking the stairs two at a time and ignoring Sehun taunting _you better hurry, hunter_ as he pushes himself to move his legs faster. He almost misses the eighth floor, starting up the stairs before he realises and rushes back down, swinging the door open to the hallway and running to 805. He steps back, leaning as he brings his leg up to break the lock, when Sehun opens the door for him and he stumbles in surprise.

"Hello Jongdae," he breathes, eyes wide and pupils blown, almost enveloping the ring of purple iris.

Jongdae forgets what he was here for in the first place, taking in Sehun's pastel pink hair sticking up in disarray, his lack of a shirt and tight sweats that leave nothing to the imagination. Sehun is practically radiating magic, pouring off of him in waves and Jongdae is entranced, unsure if it's himself or  whatever power Sehun is exuding but right now he doesn't care. Sehun's mouth hangs open in a soft _o_ shape before he's pulling Jongdae in by his shirt and kissing him like it's his last day on earth.

 

It starts rough, Sehun's teeth smashing painfully against his lip and he yelps, letting himself be pulled further into the apartment so the witch can slam the door shut, his hands quick to slide under Jongdae's shirt to grip at the bare skin of his waist, making him groan into Sehun's mouth. The witch weaves them expertly through items strewn around the room, Jongdae not wanting to look at what they are, until they're at the bed and he stops, flicking his hands out as he mumbles, Jongdae catching the sheets being thrown aside behind Sehun's form.

Sehun stares into his eyes to catch his attention as his hands find the hem of Jongdae's shirt, only breaking eye contact to lift the cloth up and over the hunter's head. There's a second's pause where Sehun looks down to his chest and his breath leaves him in a stuttered groan.

His fingers ghost up Jongdae's side. "Nipple piercings," Sehun whispers, warm fingertips grazing over the steel bars to make him gasp. "Cute."

"Shut up," Jongdae rushes out before cupping Sehun's neck to pull him in for a kiss, trying to quell the voice in his mind that this is the last thing he should be doing. He doesn't want to think for once.

 

Pleasure blooms under the heat of Sehun's mouth, the hunter gasping as Sehun kisses along his jaw, sucks and bites the skin along the column of his neck. He lets himself be pulled down as Sehun leans back, Jongdae catching himself with his hands so their noses don't smash against each other. Sehun shimmies down until he's at Jongdae's chest, the latter letting out a loud groan when the witch's lips close around his nipple, sensitive when his tongue presses hard against the piercing, swirling. He closes his eyes and whimpers, not sure if he wants to push closer or pull away, but he whines when Sehun moves off with a loud pop, his hands instead running down Jongdae's back to cup his ass and squeeze. He's so turned on he can barely think straight, leaning down to suck Sehun's lower lip into his mouth and biting it softly. He breathes in Sehun's moan, lets him roll his hips up, grinding down to align their erections. It's a heady feeling, buzzing under his skin pleasantly and clearing his mind of any thought but the man beneath him, and he stares down at how fucked out Sehun already looks, lips swollen and red and his eyes hooded as he returns his gaze.

"I wasn't kidding when I wanted to tie you up," Sehun says, voice loaded with promise. "Ever tried kinbaku?"

Jongdae closes his eyes and shakes his head, shivering when Sehun's hand traces a similar hexagonal pattern on his chest like he had imagined earlier. It has Jongdae rutting down faster, arousal simmering in his stomach.

"How beautiful you would like in ropes," he says, breathy. "My pretty little hunter unable to move, mmm. Maybe we could even blindfold you as well?"

Jongdae bites down on Sehun's collarbone just to muffle his whine, squirming as Sehun's hand travels down his stomach and strokes over his cock softly, a barely there press of his fingertips, but it has him bucking his hips in surprise.

"You'd be begging for me to get you off, laying desperate whilst I edged you for hours. Would you like that?"

"Oh my god," he gasps. "Fuck me Sehun, please. Please."

He just chuckles, hand smacking his ass playfully. "Is that what you want?" he asks, to be sure.

Jongdae nods fast. "Please, I need to -"

"Okay, okay." He mutters a spell under his breath and lube materialises in his hand. "Take your clothes off."

Jongdae rolls off the other, quickly ridding himself of his jeans and his briefs, feeling exposed as soon as he does. But then he looks over at Sehun and he's already naked as well and Jongdae's mouth clicks audibly as he looks down at Sehun's dick. It's huge, flushed and curved towards his stomach. He looks so beautiful Jongdae's head spins with the fresh wave of arousal that crashes over him.

 

Sehun kneels, pulling Jongdae's legs over his so they're more comfortable before pouring lube over two fingers, and the hunter's hips twitch when he feels a cool fingertip press against his rim. Sehun's free hands moves up to pinch his nipple and he squeaks, throwing his head back and closing his eyes, trying to relax as much as he can when Sehun pushes his finger in. It's been a while but it's not hard to fall back into it, Sehun making sure he's comfortable before adding a second, a third finger, exploring. He sets up a steady rhythm, pushing his fingers in and out and Jongdae feels like he's going insane, until Sehun crooks his fingers expertly, pressing against his prostate relentlessly to watch him writhe, Jongdae breathing out Sehun's name as he feels his orgasm start to creep up. And then Sehun stills his fingers altogether and Jongdae sobs, biting his fist.

"Can't have you coming too early now, can we?" Sehun says, amused as he looks down at Jongdae before kissing him softly. "Or do you want to come like this?"

Jongdae's already shaking his head before he finishes his question. He needs more. "Fuck me Sehun, come on."

"What was that?" he asks, fingers stroking over his prostate again surely and Jongdae yells, back arching as he struggles to catch his breath. "I want to hear you beg."

"Ah- please Sehun!" he can feel his eyes start to sting with tears of frustration, a little bit of embarrassment. "Please fuck me Sehun, please - please -"

He pulls his fingers out and Jongdae whines, but then he's lubing his cock and lining the head up to his rim. "Ready?" he asks.

 

Jongdae locks his legs around the small of Sehun's back, nodding furiously. He's so desperate he'll do anything. Sehun pushes in slowly and Jongdae gasps at the stretch; he's definitely bigger than his fingers but Jongdae relishes in the burn, letting it ground him a bit. Sehun leans over him, peppering soft kisses over his face, his lips, watching as Jongdae's mouth twists minutely when he bottoms out.

"You okay?" he asks, voice trembling like his body as he fights to stay still. Jongdae nods, rocking his hips up and moaning at the feeling.

"Move," he breathes, voice hitching as Sehun grinds into him, leaning down to capture his lips in a searing kiss, licking into his mouth when he finally pulls back and thrusts in roughly, hiking Jongdae across he bed slightly.

His thrusts are smaller but harder, quickly picking up in pace as he loses himself in the moment, the feeling of Jongdae meeting each thrust with his own rocking, his nails biting into Sehun's biceps as he clings tightly. The sound of Sehun's thighs meeting his ass is loud, but when he leans back and changes the angle, Jongdae's scream drowns out any other noise. His hands curl into the sheets for something to hold onto as Sehun's own hands grip his waist, fucking him fast and shallow as his cock drags against his prostate.

"Sehun," he pants out, his vision blurry when he opens his eyes. The pleasure is almost too much, building and building without relief.

The witch seems to understand what he wants, one hand moving to grip Jongdae's neglected dick, palming him faster than his thrusts, Jongdae's torso twisting as broken moans and pleas stream from his mouth. He can feel it reaching higher, higher until it crashes over him, a scream trapped in his throat as his whole body seizes and his eyes screw shut, come spilling hot over Sehun's fingers.

When he finally is able to open his eyes does Sehun move his hand over his cock again and he whimpers, oversensitive but the witch doesn't let up, fucking into him hard and fast until his hips stutter and he's groaning, hand stilling as he leans over to rest his head against Jongdae's shoulder, coming hard.

Sehun eventually pulls out and flops down beside him, both panting harshly. He says something about cleaning up but Jongdae is struggling to not pass out, so he doesn't fight it, just lets unconsciousness drag him under. He vaguely feels warmth wipe across his abdomen and beneath his thighs, and then he's out.

 

 

 

He wakes up cold, the room's air-conditioning blasting along his naked body and breaking goosebumps along his skin. He shifts, blinking slowly as he takes in the unfamiliar room, dark barring the light on in the entranceway. It all hits him with sudden clarity, how he fucked with Sehun instead of doing his fucking job. He sits up, wincing at the ache in his lower back and notices the whole room is empty, void of any trace of Sehun apart from a note with Jongdae's name scrawled on top.

 

 _Until next time, my pet_.

 

Jongdae swallows down the urge to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how i feel about this chapter lol  
> i wanted to do more, as i always say ahahahahaha i just wanted more of jongdae working by himself, but uhh, maybe next chapter? lmao
> 
> i also had the thought of jongdae with nipple piercings ever since that photo from a while ago had everyone thinking he had one but it turned out it was just a trick of the light :( 
> 
> for anyone who doesn't know, kinbaku/shibari is a japanese form of bondage, all about the artistic as well as the sensualness of rope bondage lol. it's quite pretty idk bye


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to reiterate there is graphic violence and death in this fic, and especially in this chapter! :)

Jongdae dresses quickly, shame and hurt swelling in his chest, fuelling his movements. He needs to get out of this room _now_ , lest he actually start crying. Sehun just wanted a quick fuck, something to distract Jongdae - or himself, the latter isn't sure - and Jongdae fell for it, like he always seems to with this witch. It makes him sick to think about it.

Swallowing over the lump in his throat he dashes out of the apartment, taking the stairwell again so he won't have to encounter anyone in the elevator. Plus it's a good way to calm himself, even for just the small walk back to his hotel room.

He doesn't understand _why_ he's so upset, why he feels betrayal and anger running hot through his system. He should’ve known better, he knew that Sehun was physically attracted to him and this was nothing more than that, but he feels used, cast aside like another useless item in Sehun’s room once he’s had his fill.

The sun is warm on his skin when he exits the building, and he tries to focus on how it feels instead of the ache in his muscles. He shoves his hands into his pockets and tilts his head down to watch his feet, quickly unlocking his door and standing there with his hand on the doorknob for a minute, just staring blankly at the messy paint job over cheap wood.

When he turns around his eyes immediately focus on the note folded on his now neat bed, and he belatedly notices that his whole room has been tidied up – his clothes are all back in his bags, food wrappers and plastic cups all thrown in the trash. He crosses to his bed and picks up the note, unfolding it as he lets out a long breath through his nose.

 

_Maybe we can do that again soon._

_That is if you find me._

 

Jongdae inhales, looking at the wall facing him as he tries to keep himself in check. His fingers crumple the paper and he feels his pain quickly warp into anger, easier to deal with and clears his mind except for one thought; oh he’ll find Sehun alright, and this time he’ll get him, won’t fall for…whatever it is that makes Sehun, Sehun, again. He throws the paper at the wall, dissatisfied with the way it barely even touches the plaster, makes him angrier. He spins to the table and feels his heartbeat pound loudly in his ears, feeling like he’s floating behind his body and watching from a distance as he flips the table over, sound muffled and the movement slow to his eyes. Like it’s all in slow motion, like he’s not in control of his body as he practically rips the room apart, throwing pillows, upending the mattress, kicking at the door to the bathroom until his boot-clad foot breaks through the wood, a hole splintering around it with a satisfying crack.

He breathes heavily, slowly coming back to his senses, chest heaving as he takes in what he’s done. He should leave.

So he does.

He leaves a few extra bills with the key before he tears out of the parking lot, flooring the accelerator as he drives aimlessly, just _away_. The buildings thin and disappear completely, fields of long yellowed grass replacing the intricate patterns of city streets, the air cleaner and cooler as it whips through his open windows, his hair flying around wildly. It’s soothing, his mind calming as he drives and drives, long after the sun has set and he’s entering a familiar town, turning familiar streets until he’s pulled up to the bar, and then he’s practically running inside, wanting everything that happened in the past day to be over, to be as far away from it as possible.

Shouts greet him as soon as he opens the doors, the crack of billiard balls knocking against each other adding to the loud din. The tables are still tightly packed together to make room for the pool tables, for the jukebox and the area fitted with booths to watch sports on the flatscreen. Jongdae had told Kyungsoo not to waste money on such an expensive television when the drunk patrons would just destroy it, but no one has ruined it so far. They must really enjoy their sports, Jongdae supposes. He weaves through the occupied tables to get to the bar, craning his neck in search for the owner. Sooyoung, tall with long dyed-red hair half-pulled up in a bun, makes her way over to him, wiping the inside of a glass with a cloth as her round eyes look him up and down blatantly.

“What can I get ya darl?” she drawls, throwing the dish towel over her shoulder and placing the glass back in its designated rack. “You look like you could use a strong one.”

He gives her a smile, a small one, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Thanks but I’m actually just looking for Kyungsoo. He in?”

“Yeah, I’ll grab him for ya hold on,” she says, spinning around and Jongdae is sure she’s throwing her hips side to side more than her natural gait and it makes him snort.

He watches a guy and a girl compete with each other in downing shots, laughs softly when she smashes her fifth and last glass down on the countertop with a triumphant shout, the man sighing and putting down his third without finishing it. The man pulls out his wallet when Jongdae feels a gentle press of fingers in the crook of his elbow and he spins around to Kyungsoo smiling softly at him and he almost crumples then and there, fighting back sudden tears.

“Hey stranger,” Kyungsoo says, keeping his hand on Jongdae’s arm which he appreciates.

“Hey Soo,” he says, letting himself be led around the bar and into the back room where Kyungsoo has a lounge set up for his employees to take a break, a small coffee table before it and leads him through the next door to his office.

It’s a tiny room, barely fitting the desk and two extra chairs, and the desktop is cluttered with journals, loose papers, a collection of paperweights that Seulgi keeps buying him after she first bought one as a joke for Kyungsoo’s birthday. The lamp shines brightly on a sketch of a wendigo that the latter had been working on, towering over a human figure used a scale comparison with its extended arms and legs, probably for his guidebook he’s creating. All Things Superntural, a Guide by Do Kyungsoo.  Not that it’ll be published publicly, but it will come in handy for newbies, might ease the transition into a world that they all thought wasn’t real growing up.

He sits in one of the seats in front of the desk and is a little surprised when Kyungsoo doesn’t take up his own chair behind it, instead sitting in the one next to him. When he finally looks at Kyungsoo’s face he can see the concern in his eyes and it makes him want to cry all over again.

“Sooyoung seems to still be into you,” Kyungsoo says, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. “Keeps trying to get in your pants.”

Jongdae huffs a little laugh, looking up at the simple cornice the wraps around the room. “She still hasn’t figured out I’m into guys more than girls?”

“Well you haven’t told her outright so I don’t blame her,” he says, tone amused.

“Even though we literally fucked in here once?” Jongdae asks, still not looking at the other but he knows he can see the way Jongdae’s eyebrow raises.

He can see Kyungsoo’s hand wave dismissively in his periphery. “She knows we were just blowing off steam, plus we were both drunk as all hell.”

Jongdae sighs fondly, although he can tell Kyungsoo’s about to bring it up. Why he’s here, why he looks like he’s gonna need a whole bottle of whiskey. He closes his eyes and holds his hand out towards Kyungsoo, palm upward, and waits until the other grips it within his own, calloused palm familiar and comforting.

 

“What happened?” Kyungsoo asks and he takes a deep breath in.

“Sehun,” he breathes out, swallowing. “Sehun happened.”

“Ah,” he says simply, waiting but not pushing. Jongdae is so grateful to have a best friend like Kyungsoo.

“We fucked.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t gasp, doesn’t react so he cracks his eyes open to see Kyungsoo watching him, unsurprised by what he’s said.

“And?” he finally prompts, when Jongdae doesn’t continue.

“I’m supposed to _kill_ him, Soo,” he spits out, angry at himself all over again. “But instead I fucked him as soon as he told me where he was –“

“Wait he told you where he was?” Kyungsoo asks, and that has him raising his brows. “How did he even contact you? He couldn’t have placed a hex bag on you again.”

Jongdae grips his friend’s hand tighter. He forgot to tell him about the spell.

“About that,” he says dryly. He closes his eyes again and if he focuses on pushing away all thought he can feel that stupid connection to Sehun, still humming, still bonded. “That spell you got from that witch.”

“Yeah?”

“Turns out he tweaked it,” he mumbles. “He got in contact with Sehun somehow and helped change it.”

“Change it _how_?” Kyungsoo asks, quiet rage evident in his voice.

“He changed an ingredient that was supposed to protect my mind to something that would make it more vulnerable and once I tried to find Sehun he…bonded our minds, I guess.”

“What?”

 

Kyungsoo looks so confused when he looks back at him, and so angry he’s starting to shake. Jongdae’s so tired already.

“I don’t really know,” he admits. “But we can talk to each other, and he can project images in my mind.” He colours at the memory of Sehun moaning at him being tied up.

“I’m so sorry Dae,” Kyungsoo whispers eventually. “If I had known, shit I should’ve researched it. Why the fuck did I trust that snivelling fucking _witch_ -“

“Well I didn’t either, so.” He clears his throat. “Anyway he told me where he was two days ago and he was so close so I didn’t even think it through, he was doing something and it didn’t look good so I. I just ran over there and then – well.”

“Y’all did the dirty?” Kyungsoo supplies, smiling when Jongdae huffs amusedly.

“Yeah, we just. Did. But it felt –“ he stops short, not knowing what he is really trying to convey.

“I get it,” he says softly and Jongdae doesn’t believe him for a second, when he doesn’t get it himself. “So you boned and then what?”

Jongdae looks down at their entwined hands, a gesture they’ve done to comfort each other since they were kids. They’ve never really kicked the habit and Jongdae doesn’t care to. “And then he left me like a quick one-nighter,” he gets out. His throat hurts. “Packed all of his shit and left me in the fucking apartment with a note saying ‘ _we should do this again sometime’_. I don’t know why I’m so upset about it.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo asks and Jongdae nods. “Well I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but y’all have been doing this weird mating dance for so long that it seems pretty obvious from here.”

“Don’t,” Jongdae says, more biting than he intended. “I just don’t want to hear anything about it tonight.”

“Alright,” Kyungsoo concedes, thumb swiping over his wrist gently, comfortingly. “You want me to blow you in here then? I’m sure Sooyoung will get the idea if I do.”

Jongdae cracks a smile, appreciating the effort Kyungsoo is putting in. “Thanks but I think I’ll pass. You’re all teeth anyway.”

“Fuck you, I was _drunk_ ,” Kyungsoo says and Jongdae does laugh at that. “You wanna crash here?”

 

Jongdae nods and Kyungsoo uses their linked hands to pull him to his feet, grabbing his keys and locking the office door behind him as they exit, leading Jongdae back out of the break room and then toward the back door of the bar. He calls out to Sooyoung and asks if she’s okay to close by herself and, once given the affirmative, pushes the door open, holding it a beat longer so it won’t swing shut on Jongdae. They walk in comfortable silence the short distance to Kyungsoo’s little cabin of a home, interior the exact same as it’s been for years.

Jongdae makes for the couch but Kyungsoo grabs his upper arm, dragging him into the single bedroom of the house and forcing him under the sheets after he’s taken his shoes off, before climbing in after. He sits up a little higher, pulls Jongdae in so his head is pillowed on the side of Kyungsoo’s chest, arms wrapped around him securely. He feels safe, sheltered from everything outside of the cabin, but his exhaustion and pent up emotions finally catch up to him, and he can feel the tears forming, and he just lets them roll, only sorry that they’re seeping into Kyungsoo’s shirt. It’s weakness he doesn’t show anyone else, and still doesn’t show the former that often.

“Get some rest, okay?” Kyungsoo murmurs above him, rubbing his hand over his arm in a soothing manner, and he nods his assent into the wet patch of his friend’s shirt, counting Kyungsoo’s heartbeats until he falls asleep.

 

 -

 

He stays with Kyungsoo for two weeks.

He doesn’t want to leave, and he has nothing of importance to get to, pushing all thoughts of Sehun out of his mind. They’re gearing up for their second hunt, the first exorcising a spirit haunting a newly moved couple in the town over, this one a few rogue vampires that Kyungsoo has been watching closely. They’re not part of a nest, as far as Kyungsoo knows; he thinks they’ve either been kicked out of one or they’ve snuck away. But they’ve been draining people at an alarming rate, at least one dead a day so they’re taking them down today, when they’re at their weakest.

Jongdae forgoes his jacket, the day warm enough anyway, instead strapping a sheath to his back, slotting two machetes into it effortlessly. Kyungsoo’s fiddling with his crossbow, his quiver stocked with arrows dipped in dead man’s blood in case the vampires wake up and try to attack before they can kill them. He rolls his eyes at Jongdae when he sees the sheath, its strapping crossing over his chest tight and secure, thinks it’s overkill when Jongdae can just hold the damn machetes in his hands. Jongdae likes the ease of it.

“Ready?” Kyungsoo asks, crossbow aimed toward the ceiling as he smiles, a chilling smile he has only when he’s excited for a kill. Jongdae nods.

There’s barely anyone in the bar when they enter, and the ones that are there at nine in the morning are hunters as well, so they barely blink at the weapons they’re carrying. A tall, long-legged guy is manning the bar this morning, yells out for Kyungsoo to have fun, and Jongdae watches the way Kyungsoo’s face and neck flush, but he’s not sure if it’s embarrassment or something else. He’ll have to ask him after they finish the job.

Kyungsoo drives them out a few streets away from his bar, the rural houses few and far between. Kyungsoo likes to drive whatever fucking speed he wants, which Jongdae gets, especially out here; there’s no one else really to worry about on the roads. Just you and a long stretch of worn dirt – who would pay attention to speed limits? Jongdae stares out at the landscape, mind buzzing with excitement for the job. It’s been a while since he’s had the opportunity to kill a vampire and he’s a little excited, more than he probably should be, but this is it. It’s normal, it’s what he’s supposed to do.

They pull off the road, Kyungsoo parking his car not quite in the shallow dip and killing the engine.

“They’re in that barn over there,” Kyungsoo says softly, anticipation rolling off of him. Jongdae looks over to where Kyungsoo is gesturing with his head, at the dilapidated building a fair distance away from them. “There’s five of them. You sure you can handle those odds?”

“I should be asking you that,” he scoffs, punching Kyungsoo’s arm without any real force. “Let’s do this.”

 

The other nods, opening his door and slinking out, Jongdae following suit. He does a spin, eyes squinting against the harsh sun beating down against them, checking over for anyone they hadn’t noticed before and only moving to the bonnet of the car when he’s satisfied. They move together, angled away from each other, on the defensive as they walk up the gravel lane that leads to the barn. Its exterior is in poor condition, palings missing and the remaining rotting. It’s a wonder it hasn’t collapsed on itself yet, Jongdae thinks. He tries to settle his heartbeat but it thrums, loud and strong, adrenaline finally kicking in and keeping him alert and light on his feet. They reach the large doors and Kyungsoo gives him a look as if to say _should we try?_ but Jongdae just shakes his head, nodding towards another entrance, a smaller door off to the side. They move as quiet as they can, Kyungsoo nocking an arrow and aiming it at the door, giving Jongdae a nod to open the door. He does so slowly, the door creaking but not as loud as Jongdae thought it would.

Kyungsoo’s eyes are fixed on the doorway, but he doesn’t loose an arrow so he’s sure they haven’t woken them yet. After waiting another thirty seconds with no sounds other than the wind whispering through the gaps in wood, they make their way in, facing away so they can cover each other’s backs if need be. Jongdae’s eyes scan the area quickly, hay bales still left from the building’s owner, beams supporting a narrow upper level that runs along three sides of the interior, probably to store more hay or grain in its heyday. Kyungsoo nudges him with an elbow and Jongdae follows his line of sight, to where three figures lay prone on the ground, another propped upright against a tipped barrel. He can’t spot the fifth but he’s sure they’re nearby, probably on the other side of the barrel resting. They approach quickly, not wanting to waste any time and Jongdae unsheathes one of his machetes, his heart pounding to the beat of his footfalls as they break into a run, rushing at the vampires still sleeping.

The first one never stood a chance.

Jongdae rears both arms back behind his head, holding the handle tightly, sliding across the stretch of ground left on his knees and swinging down when the blade aligns with the vamp’s neck,  sharp as it cuts through muscle and bone like it’s nothing. Blood sprays all over Jongdae, soaking his clothes instantly, worth it when he feels the blade hit the floor, cleanly decapitating the female vamp who barely managed to open her mouth before he killed her. He swings around at the sound of a loud shriek, watches another vampire pull an arrow out of her chest as she snarls. Kyungsoo aims at the other vampire starting to scramble to its feet, sinking another arrow straight into its heart. The female sways, fangs bared, eventually falling to her knees as the dead man’s blood weakens her further. Jongdae spares no more time, rushing at her from behind, swinging his machete in a large arc, her head rolling at least two metres away with the force Jongdae puts behind the strike.

“Dae behind!” Kyungsoo shouts, and he spins, ducking as the fourth vampire reaches out for him, missing barely. The vamp rounds on him, a little slow due to the sun being up, but it’s definitely awake. There’s still the other that they haven’t seen yet but it’ll show, Jongdae’s sure. It won’t let them both go without at least trying to get revenge for its friends. Vampires are stupidly loyal like humans, he supposes.

He studies the vampire, waits it out until it gets too impatient with him and attacks, fangs extended and claw-like nails reaching for him. Jongdae side-steps to the left of him easily, kicking viciously at the vampire’s right knee, watching with sick satisfaction as it crumples to the ground in pain. The blood that spurts from this vampire’s neck just runs down his face, his bare arms, coating him a dark crimson. Three down.

He turns to check on Kyungsoo, watching his friend drop his crossbow carelessly to instead bring out his favourite bowie knife, deftly killing the fourth vampire with such ease, second-nature. He smiles when the headless body drops heavily, growing wider when Kyungsoo looks at him and grimaces at the blood dripping down his hand.

He sees Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, hears his shout of his name, but it’s murky and it takes him a second to realise why.

 

 _“Hello, hunter,_ ” Sehun’s voice cuts through the noise around him, and it shocks him into stilling, forgetting where he is for a split second. Kyungsoo’s running at him and he’s about to reply to Sehun, tell him to go fuck himself when a sharp pain flares in his back and he screams, the sound muted to his own ears, and he stares down at the tip of the blade protruding from his stomach in shock.

“ _Hunter?_ ” Sehun repeats in his head, and Jongdae doesn’t need this right now, can’t even think as the vampire pushes the knife deeper into his lower back, knocking the breath out of him. “ _Jongdae what’s going on?_ ”

He falls to his knees, struggling to breathe as his vision spots, feeling the blade withdraw from his flesh and making out Kyungsoo right beside him now, fighting off the last vampire. He pitches forward, barely able to cushion his head with his arm as he goes down, gritting his teeth as the wound throbs.

“ _Jongdae,_ ” Sehun repeats urgently. “ _Are you okay? Where are you?_ ”

“Fuck you,” he spits out, verbally he belatedly realises. “Fuck – fuck.”

“ _Tell me where you are, now._ ”

“No,” Jongdae manages out. Sehun practically growls through their connection. Jongdae can feel his consciousness starting to fade, the pain becoming too much.

“ _Jongdae –“_

“Jongdae!” Kyungsoo’s voice echoes Sehun’s and he barely registers Kyungsoo’s hands on him before he passes out cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're here again! this chapter's a little longer but not by much lmao there wasn't a good spot to stop it any earlier  
> this might be up earlier technically but it's already sunday here in australia so uh yeah anyways hope y'all enjoy ahahaha x


	6. Chapter 6

Sehun is dressed in jeans and a plain black tee, fitted snug around his chest and biceps, and he’s pacing, antsy, the room pitch black apart from a light shining down from somewhere above them. Jongdae groans as he sits up, feeling strange, looking at the sheets beneath him – they’re not the sheets he threw over Kyungsoo’s couch, and the thread count is too high to be one of the usual hotel rooms he stays in. He frowns, licking over his lips, as he watches Sehun continue walking back and forth in a line, fingers sparking with purple bolts.

“You’re gonna dig a pit if you keep that up,” he finally says, voice raspy. Sehun startles, head whipping up to face him as he sits up.

“You’re awake,” he breathes, rushing over and then stopping short about a metre away. “I mean you’re not really awake, but you woke up in here –“

“Wait what?” he shifts, looking around himself now. The light above them is too harsh to see anything beyond its ring, and it’s too quiet wherever they are, every sound they make feeling amplified. “Where are we?”

“Well. In your mind,” Sehun says softly, looking just past Jongdae. Like he can’t say this and look him in the eye. “You’re unconscious right now. I’m just accessing your dream and manipulating myself into it.”

Jongdae frowns, his brain too fuzzy to fully understand what that meant. “Okay. Why are we here?” he pauses, squints up at Sehun. “Why are _you_ here?”

 

He’s never seen Sehun so fidgety before, fingers twitching as magic dances between the gaps of his knuckles, brows furrowing as he sucks his lower lip into his mouth. Jongdae is so used to self-assured Sehun, cocky witch with so much confidence, that to see him like this makes him nervous.

“I was going to ask you,” he mutters, pushing his pastel pink strands off his forehead. “I was trying to talk you before, do you remember?”

Jongdae frowns, memories murky; he remembers pain but that’s about it, and he says so to Sehun, pursing his lips as the witch’s frown only deepens.

“What were you doing?” he asks, and Jongdae rolls his eyes, throwing the sheets off his legs and swinging them over the side of the bed.

“I don’t know,” Jongdae says and Sehun groans. “What? I’m unconscious as you said. This is the weirdest dream I’ve ever had. It feels so real.”

“I need you to focus Jongdae,” Sehun snaps, moving forward to shake his shoulders. “Where were you? Were you with someone? Were you hunting?”

“Why are you being like this? You left me in that stupid fucking apartment,” he says, anger sudden as it washes over him, and he knocks Sehun’s hands off him. “You ditched me like a miserable one-night stand and now you’re worried about my wellbeing? Go fuck yourself.”

A call of Jongdae’s name, soft and echoing from the darkness catches their attention and Jongdae tilts his head at the sound, hears it again, louder. It’s Kyungsoo’s voice and he’s so confused. Why is he in this dream too?

“He’s really calling out to you,” Sehun says softly, and Jongdae glances back to the witch, his face shuttered off. “You should wake up.”

Jongdae almost feels the whiplash physically. He just sighs, says simply, “Okay.”

Sehun dissipates into tendrils of indigo smoke and Jongdae feels a weird tug behind his eyes, letting them close.

 

 

Jongdae sucks in a sharp breath as he wakes, body shaking without his control. He blinks groggily, the wound agonisingly throbbing as more blood pulses out of it, and he can feel arms loop under his armpits.

“Fuck, Jongdae don’t die on me please,” Kyungsoo says and Jongdae tilts his head back to look up at his best friend who’s dragging him out of the barn, and Jongdae grits his teeth at the raw pain of rocks and gravel catching against the entry wound, the finer dirt particles being rubbed in and he bites back a scream, the feeling worse than any torture he’s experienced. “Fuck I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Can you stand?”

Kyungsoo stops, grunting as he lifts Jongdae’s limp form into a mostly standing position, and Jongdae does scream as he’s jostled, breathing laboured as he leans against Kyungsoo, barely able to walk as his friend moves as quick as possible to their car, constantly apologising.

Jongdae wishes he was unconscious again, so he wouldn’t have to feel this pain. It’s a struggle to get into Kyungsoo’s car, having to be pushed up into the seat because the step is too much for him to handle. He grunts, letting Kyungsoo slam the door once he’s in and barely focuses on him jumping in the driver’s side, fumbling with the keys before he turns the car on, tyres squealing in protest as he spins the car around and floors it.

Jongdae tries not to make too much noise as they speed through the streets, his vision going in and out as pain sears through his body. He wakes up as Kyungsoo opens his door, wrangling him out of the car without finesse, wrapping his arm around his back as he drags him forward, the smell of antiseptic hitting him as soon as they walk through automatic doors.

“Help!” Kyungsoo shouts, and Jongdae groans as another pair of hands press against him. It feels like fire licking through his stomach and he can feel bile starting to crawl up his throat.

“What’s happened?” a voice from his other side asks and he tries to turn to them, but his feet trip and he’s only held up by the hands around him.

“Stabbed. Entry and exit wound,” Kyungsoo grits out just as Jongdae is lifted onto a gurney, groaning hoarsely at the fresh wave of pain that rolls through his body. His vision swims, the lights above spinning and faces rushing in and out.

There’s a litany of orders barked that mean nothing to Jongdae, instead just closing his eyes as they strap an oxygen mask to his face and wheel him away. It starts to make him panicky but he’s too weak to do anything other than call for Kyungsoo, to which he gets a hand wrapping around his own. He feels too heavy, the pain overwhelming as he gets dragged down into darkness. He faintly hears shouting but he doesn’t want to hear it anymore, doesn’t want to feel. The further he goes, the less he feels so he lets go, falling.

 

 

 

“Jongdae!”

He squints at the harsh light above him, sitting up in a field of dying grass, the air warm but not too hot. It takes him a moment but he’s sure he knows this place, turns to look behind him and there it is – a giant weather-worn house that he loved so much when he was younger. The sun feels nice on his face and he closes his eyes, smiling. It’s been so long since he’s come back here, hasn’t looked at his childhood home since monsters destroyed almost every nice memory he had of the place. He listens to the breeze play through the grass, the birds singing overhead, feeling relaxed in a way he hasn’t in years. A shadow falls over him, blocking the warm touch of the sun and he frowns.

“Jongdae.”

He opens his eyes and stares at Sehun in confusion. He’s wearing jeans and a fitted black shirt, taut around his chest and biceps and Jongdae feels a tug of déjà vu as he eyes the witch. Sehun’s hair is longer and jet black now, parted in the centre, making him look softer and younger than before. He sits in front of Jongdae, crossing his legs as he plucks the long blades of grass out of the earth.

“What are you doing here?” Jongdae asks softly, then pauses. “What am I doing here?”

“I’m here because…” Sehun trails off, looking down at his hands. His whole body is starting to glow purple, a soft sweet light emitted from where his skin is exposed. “I’m here because you called for me, in your subconscious anyway. I have no idea what memory of yours this is.”

“What?” Jongdae reaches out to touch the grass, its blades dry under his fingertips. “This is real.”

Sehun looks up at him, a vulnerable look passing over his features. “No, it’s not. I’m here because you asked me to through our bond. We’re still in your mind.”

“Then…where am I?”

Sehun shrugs a little too jerky to be a careless gesture. “No idea. You shut me out when you woke up last time.”

Jongdae feels fear prick all over his body, can feel the blood starting to drain from his face. He remembers talking to Sehun in that dark room, remembers being stabbed and he looks down at his body now, sees fresh blood seep through his shirt. “What the fuck.”

“Jongdae,” the witch says softly, reaching out and pressing his hands to where the stain is and it hurts, the hunter gasping at the pain. “I need you to go back please.”

“Go back where? I’m here,” he grits out, but the pain is starting to crescendo. Sehun presses his hands more firmly against his stomach and he jerks back.

“Go back,” Sehun repeats, voice harder. “I need you to live.”

Jongdae’s body starts convulsing, and fear makes his heart beat fast, pounding in his chest as he falls onto his back, Sehun following as he keeps his palms pressed to Jongdae. He looks up at Sehun, tries to speak but the witch just hushes him.

“Wake up, Jongdae,” Sehun says simply, worry evident on his face. His voice sounds echoed. “Wake up.”

His vision spots and he gasps, body still trembling until it all fades.

 

 

 

A loud repetitive beep wakes him up, blinking slowly as he groans. His body feels heavier than usual, his tongue dry in his mouth. He tries to lick over his lips as he takes in the room, a window letting bright light in, a beige curtain sectioning off his bed from the rest of the room. A head of hair rests near his thigh, on his hand and he wriggles his fingers to jostle them, his mind to sluggish to be scared of who it is. They shift, Kyungsoo whipping up to stare at him and he smiles, wondering if he should have when Kyungsoo stares with wide eyes, dark bags under his eyes and his face too pale.

“Hey,” he says, voice small and cracked.

“You stupid fucking idiot,” Kyungsoo whispers harshly, but he takes Jongdae’s hand and squeezes it. “So stupid. I was so scared.”

“Where am I?” he asks, lifting his hand to brush through Kyungsoo’s messy strands, belatedly noticing the catheter in his arm, connected to a drip that’s hanging beside his bed. “Well obviously in a hospital.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo breathes out, still looking like he’s seen a ghost. “You lost a lot of blood. I thought you were a goner.”

Jongdae remembers seeing Sehun in the field. “So did I. I – I went into this…weird place. I remember holding your hand and then I was – I was home.”

“Home?”

He nods, eyes unfocused. “Yeah… _home_ home. My original home. Sehun was there too.”

Kyungsoo sits up straighter at that. “Sehun? Really?” he asks, and the latter nods, feeling embarrassed but not knowing why.

“Yeah, he said I called for him or something,” he frowns, trying to remember more but it just hurts his head.

“Hey, don’t stress about it. Just rest up, okay? I’ll be here.”

Jongdae nods, settling back down into the cushions behind him, closing his eyes and trying to focus on the humming in the back of his mind.

_Sehun?_

 

“ _Yes, Jongdae?_ ”

 

_Where are you?_

“ _Where are you?_ ” he parrots, and Jongdae wants to roll his eyes.

_In hospital. Alive clearly._

Sehun appears behind his eyelids and he fights the urge to gasp, instead bodily jerking in surprise. His hair is still pink in this projection, but he’s parted it in the middle like in his dream state, and he’s sitting at a desk, glasses perched on his nose. There’s floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, showcasing a cityscape in broad daylight, washing the room in a warm glow that makes Sehun look that much more surreal. He’s reading some ancient-looking tomes but he puts the one in his hands down, the deep thump echoing in Jongdae’s mind. He throws his glasses down on top of it, fingers carding through his hair; if he times his hand in Kyungsoo’s hair correctly it almost feels like he’s the one pushing Sehun’s hair out of his face. He stops his hand moving at the thought.

“ _And how are you my hunter?_ ” he asks and Jongdae feels like he’s staring into Jongdae’s soul.

_Well I’ve been better_ , he thinks wryly. _I’m stuck in this place and it smells horrible. I hate hospitals._

Sehun smirks in his mind, moving to lean a shoulder against one of the windows. “ _Well I don’t blame you. How long are you stuck there for?_ ”

Jongdae shrugs, then remembers Sehun can’t see him. _Dunno, probably a few days. Depends on when the doc says I can get outta here._

“ _You think you’d be up for a trip when you’re discharged?”_ Sehun asks nonchalantly, looking at his fingernails.

_Depends._

“ _On?_ ”

_What it’s for. And if it’s worth my time._

Sehun hums, shifts to show a large sigil painted in white on the floor in front of a bookcase that stretches to the ceiling, stuffed full of old and new books. Jongdae hears the machine keeping track of his heartrate starts sounding faster, and he hates that Sehun does so little and still gets such a reaction from him, even from such a distance.

“ _Well I’ll make sure it’s well worth your time. Let me know when you’re well enough and I’ll give you some hints as to where to find me. Our very own game of Marco Polo, how exciting.”_

Sehun waves, even blows a kiss before he cuts the vision and Jongdae grunts, opening his eyes to look down at Kyungsoo, his face relaxed and sweet in sleep. He’s sore, he’s exhausted but he can feel anticipation creep through his veins. Back to the hunt.

 

 

Six days later he’s discharged, after spinning a tale of being attacked as he was heading to Kyungsoo’s bar, that he didn’t catch a good view of his attacker; they were behind him of course, and the police drew the conclusion that it was a random attack and not one that Jongdae was targeted personally for. Jongdae let out a huge sigh of relief when they left, only to be replaced by his doctor. She said the stitches are looking decent enough, his body hasn’t shown any signs of rejecting the blood transfusion so she deemed him fit enough to leave, to only short periods of walking and no strenuous exercise or sex. Jongdae had barked out a laugh at that, but settled down at the sharp look she sent his way. She bid him farewell with scripts for medication and a wheelchair that Kyungsoo rolls him out in.

It’s not a long trip back to Kyungsoo’s but it’s definitely bumpy, Jongdae biting down so hard on his lip to stop from making noise that he breaks the skin. He eases himself out of the car just as Kyungsoo swings around, hauling Jongdae’s arm over his shoulders to help him which he appreciates. Sooyoung gives him a kiss on the cheek and follows them out to Kyungsoo’s cabin to give them both a plate each of steak and steamed vegetables, which Kyungsoo thanks her profusely for as he subtly pushes her out of his house.

They make small talk but Jongdae has only one thing on his mind: to catch Sehun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I uh,,,,neglected this for the whole week lmao it's been so crazy with double the shifts at work and I got a tattoo for my birthday! (I got the L-1485 that Chanyeol has bc I'm absolute trash for exo lmao) so I kinda forgot to keep writing this and you can kinda tell with how filler-y it is so I'm uh,,,sorry about it!!! :( I have two days off this week so I'm hoping I'll get more done uhuuuu xx


	7. Chapter 7

It takes Jongdae about two months of careful exercising and recovering before he’s able to move freely, his stitches taken out to let the wounds heal fully. He’s not back to full strength, not by a long shot, but he’s still good with a gun or anything that he can aim at monsters from afar, though Kyungsoo was absolutely adamant that he would not be hunting anything but beer cans behind his house, which Jongdae had rolled his eyes at but acquiesced nonetheless. He’s been practicing more with small handguns, not yet reaching for the shotguns in fear of the kick jostling his still sore stomach and undoing all the work put in to repair him.

Jongdae has a lot of time to read up too, and with Kyungsoo’s extensive collection of books he does, starting with your textbook monsters and moving up to celestial beings until his brain starts hurting over the hierarchical system heaven has, as well as almost every other deity in other religions. He pauses as he reaches a section of books, clearly recently read through judging by the lack of dust on the bookshelf, Kyungsoo having labelled this section as simply _Witches_. Jongdae grabs the first on the left, pulling the large tome out with both hands so he doesn’t drop the surprisingly heavy thing, seeing at how thin it is, and dropping it unceremoniously on the dining table, flipping open the cover. The contents page covers a whole range of topics - of the history of witches in China, India, United States, Indonesia and Brazil, the covens prominent in each country and when they had been formed, and a summary of powerful individual witches and their branches of magic at the time the book was written.

He grabs the second volume of the twenty that are bound in the same leather cases, and scans its contents – Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Japan. He can’t understand the way the author has organised the countries, not alphabetically that Jongdae is sure, but the range of witches between these two books alone has him swallowing down nerves. These are clearly the more notable witches from their native countries - an Indian witch so strong in elemental magic that she created the Himalayas to prove her coven wrong, a Nigerian witch who perfected the art of blood magic he could change the direction the blood flows in a person’s body if he so wished. Jongdae’s head spins at the sheer volume of information, of how truly powerful witches can be. He pulls out the third, the fourth, fifth and sixth until he finds the country he’s searching for. He skips to _Korea_ and doesn’t read any of the history, telling himself he’ll read up on it later, instead checking the list of notable witches, finger dragging lightly over sepia photographs and sketches that accompany each listing, turning the page and letting out a stuttered breath as Sehun stares back up at him, his face the exact same as it is now.

 

He’s wearing a long-sleeved shirt, lighter than the waistcoat embroidered with a floral pattern, expression stern and eyes cold as he stares directly into the camera. _Oh Sehun_ , _first written appearance in 1492. First photographic appearance 1923. A witch of promising power, dabbles in a broad list of magic branches but excels in elemental magic and spoken spellwork. It is to be noted that Oh was part of the Yangban during the Joseon dynasty, maintaining his status by appearing as his own son every twenty years to avoid suspicion of his inability to age. He joined the Coven not long after its formation, though the exact date of his initiation is unknown._

Jongdae feels stupid, now, for rushing in guns blazing against someone who is so much more powerful than he had assumed. Sehun even has a goddamn sigil dedicated to him, for his achievements in furthering the power of spoken spells. He knew Sehun was powerful but this? This is a whole new level and he’s not sure how to feel about it. He’s going to have to approach this job with a lot more caution. He stares down at the photograph for a beat longer than necessary, a little annoying voice in the back of his mind telling him how handsome Sehun looks. He wonders what he would have looked like during the Joseon era, then shakes his head, slams the book closed. Jongdae can’t keep thinking about Sehun in any way other than that he is a witch, easily one of the most powerful in Korea, and that they are on very different sides of this war. There is no room for feelings.

He places the books back bar the sixth volume, leaving it on the desk whilst he whips himself up a gourmet dinner – packet noodles with some spam and tofu – and he eats quickly, rinsing his dishes and leaving them to clean later. He eases himself into the desk chair and opens back up to the Korean section, reading through the history more thoroughly. He’s surprised to see Baekhyun there too, although his section is a lot smaller than Sehun’s. There’s only a sketch of Baekhyun, the likeness unnerving; the sketch was made in 1786, and the artist captured how his eyes seem to twinkle, a few long wispy strands of hair falling out of the bun tied high on his head. Jongdae can’t help the resentment that rises up at the sight of the witch, lets it wash over him for a minute before continuing. Baekhyun is apparently quite a bit younger than Sehun, or he wasn’t noticed earlier than the book suggests, his talents lying in sigil work and dark magic, which Jongdae curls his lip at. It’s really basic information, and the author stresses that it is not reliable enough information to be completely factual.

There’s a few more witches but the more he reads, the less interested he is in the others; he just wants to learn about Sehun, give him more insight into the one that is affecting his life. He reads the paragraph over again and then checks the shelves for specific books on elemental magic and general spellwork, moving over to the couch and settling in for a long night.

Kyungsoo wakes him a while later, after finishing his shift at his bar, Jongdae’s neck hurting from the angle it was at while he slept. The former clears the books from the couch and helps Jongdae lay down, fussing over him, which Jongdae doesn’t mind. He drifts back to sleep not long after, dreaming of magic-induced storms, a single man standing in the centre of the lightning strikes.

 

 

 

“Listen, I know you don’t think I’m ready –“

“You’re damn fucking right I don’t think you’re ready,” Kyungsoo spits out and Jongdae sighs. “You’re still recovering Dae, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Jongdae shrugs as he stuffs another shirt into his duffel. “I need to get back into it sooner or later. And I’ve studied up this time, he won’t see me coming, I promise.”

“I don’t care about him,” Kyungsoo says, throwing his hands up. “His stupid spell almost cost you _your life_ remember. You still get pain when you use those muscles too quickly, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Alright are you my best friend or my mother?” he rolls his eyes, zipping the bag closed and facing Kyungsoo, his expression dark. “Look I’ve studied up on his magic, as much as I can anyway. And I’ve been looking into reversing the spell that connects us too. So if I can catch up to him, I’ll make him get rid of this stupid bond and then get back to the original job.”

“And if he doesn’t destroy it?” Kyungsoo asks, eyes intense. “If he chooses not to?”

“Then I’ll –“ another shrug. Jongdae looks at his feet. “- I’ll do what needs to be done.”

Kyungsoo breathes out of his nose loudly, clapping his hand down on Jongdae’s shoulder. “I just don’t want you hurt,” he says softly. “In all senses of the word. He’s manipulative.”

“Don’t worry Soo,” Jongdae says cheerily. “I’ve got this.”

 

 

 

It’s another three months on the road. Another three months of dingy hotel rooms, of dining out at shitty restaurants, and getting back to his full strength. He still gets stiff and sore at times but otherwise feels like his normal self, and he’s excited to be in the thick of it again. He’s been sitting at this café for three hours now, alternating his orders between coffee and tea as he surveys the workers. Two people have gone missing from the area, both last seen in this diner, but none of the employees recall seeing them when Jongdae had asked. They had been closed off when he questioned them, never looking him in the eye.

They were two complete strangers, but this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Jongdae searches through police records on his laptop and finds another three people have disappeared in the past two weeks. All last seen in the very diner he’s sitting in. He openly watches the two waitresses wiping down tables and clearing plates as they both keep glancing at him and at each other. It’s strange but he just _knows_ they know, that he’s a hunter. Just like he knows they are werewolves.

Seulgi told him of a pack of werewolves in the area when he was driving here, that she had left them be when she had passed through, which Jongdae just doesn’t understand; why would you just _let_ them live? At least warn them that hunters are watching, at the  _very_ least.

And now Jongdae thinks Seulgi definitely should’ve done something, because now five people are missing and Jongdae is sure these werewolves are eating their hearts. He takes a sip of his coffee as he stares at one of the girls, who blushes and looks away quickly when she’s caught again.

“Can I get you anything else?” the other waitress asks, sidling up to him with a sour expression. “You can’t just keep ordering coffee.”

Jongdae arches a brow, watches her purse her lips as she motions to the tablet in her hand. “Fine,” he says, putting his cup back down. “I’ll have your cake of the day, please. And another coffee.”

She taps in his order, still curling her lip at him, before giving him a noise between a scoff and a grunt as she turns on her heel, stalking to the showcase of various sweets. Jongdae checks the time on his laptop, thanking the girl without looking at her as she drops the slice of lemon meringue pie and coffee with too much force onto his table. He sighs as he checks over the missing persons list again, writing down names of people who had last seen each person before closing the browser, instead opening a chat window with Kyungsoo and messaging where he is and what he’s doing. His friend is still pissed at him, still thinks he’s not ready to get back into it, so he’s keeping him updated about it all so he won’t worry that he’s gone and got himself killed or something.

He eventually heads back to his hotel room to get ready, having a quick shower and changing into a fresh shirt and jeans. He checks his gun over, making sure the bullets loaded in it are pure silver, as well as the two extra magazines. Placing the gun in the back of his waistband, he chucks the magazines in the front pockets of his jacket before grabbing his keys, locking the door behind him.

He drives over to the diner again, across the road and a little further down as to not be as noticeable, and kills the engine, watching a man and a woman walking in to the diner to meet the two waitresses inside - even though they are closed for the night. He stays there until they all leave, walking down the street, and he decides to follow on foot as well, closing his car door as quietly as possible before trailing them.

The four of them make their way to an older, well-kept house, the lights already on inside. Jongdae treads lightly through the yard, skirting where the light extends outside and moves to the back of the house. He doesn’t think much as he makes his way to the back patio, but he knows he should have at least checked above for any flood lights installed, because one flickers on as soon as he steps forward and he curses, hears the slight din completely cease inside. He should get back to his car.

 

He hears a snarl behind him and he swings around just as a werewolf barrels into him, the force knocking him to the ground with the werewolf baring his teeth dangerously close to Jongdae’s neck. He brings his knee up into the werewolf’s stomach hard, his breath cut-off as he rolls to his side and off of Jongdae who scrambles to his feet, wishing he had brought some silver knives with him as well. The other werewolves aren’t here yet but they’ll come as soon as they realise their friend has been out here for too long. He brings his gun out before the guy has a chance to get up, fingers on the trigger.

“Listen, if any of your friends even think about coming out here you’re gone, okay?” Jongdae whispers harshly as the werewolf raises his hands up. “Where are the bodies, hmm?”

The werewolf frowns at him. “What bodies?” he asks, his voice light and Jongdae narrows his eyes.

“Don’t act stupid,” he spits. “I’m talking about the two missing people this week, and three more before them. You think I’m gonna believe it _wasn’t_ the pack of werewolves that live here?”

“If it was us,” the man says, as if talking to a child, “why would we hunt anyone in the town? That would ruin the life we’ve set up here.”

 

Jongdae feels calm as he pulls the hammer down, the click as it locks into place loud in the silence. He steps a little closer. “You’re telling me that the only supernatural beings that live here are not the ones responsible? Why should I even believe that?” He waits until the werewolf looks back at him. “You turning them? Or eating their hearts?”

“We’re not doing anything!” he shouts and Jongdae flinches, curses under his breath as he hears loud footfalls inside. He moves behind the werewolf, so he’s facing the back door with his gun aimed at the man’s head.

The two waitresses and the third woman who met up with them all rush out, claws extended and wolf fangs bared. They stop a few metres away from Jongdae and their friend, clearly unsure how they should approach them.

“Don’t move,” Jongdae warns. “Or I put a bullet through his head.”

“I told you he was a hunter,” one of the waitresses spits out, the one who had served him pie instead of cake. “A piece of shit if you ask me.”

“Look we haven’t done anything to you,” the third woman says, hands out in a placating gesture. “Why don’t you just run off now and we won’t chase.”

“Or,” Jongdae offers, voice saccharine, “I just kill you all now and then I won’t have to do the job later when you’ve killed or turned more innocent people.”

“What are you talking about?” Angry Waitress asks hotly, clawed fingers twitching in anger. “We don’t turn people. And we haven’t killed anyone in years.”

“Then how do you explain the missing people?” Jongdae asks, disbelieving.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out too,” the second waitress pipes up, clearly unsettled. “It wasn’t us.”

 

Jongdae bites his lip, mulling it over. He knows he should just kill them now but something makes him falter; maybe the way the second waitress looks genuinely afraid, as if there’s something out there far scarier than she’s seen.

The first waitress pounces.

She runs at him, a weird mix of snarl and scream ripping from her throat and Jongdae aims the gun at her right leg and squeezes the trigger, watching her drop to the ground near his feet. She cries out but she still tries to catch his leg with her claws. Jongdae can’t fight the three other werewolves by himself, and he swallows as they all start to advance on him, eyes glowing a garish yellow. His heart starts pounding, panic tearing through him, but he keeps his arm level, his gaze darting between them. A crack of thunder has them all jumping, turning in time to see a blinding bolt of lightning strike the ground near them.

The heat blasts over their exposed skin and Jongdae worries for a split second if he’s been burnt. There’s a huge plume of purple smoke and Jongdae’s heart both picks up speed and plummets to his stomach, waiting with bated breath as a figure emerges, strolling out of the dispersing smoke like it’s the most normal thing on earth.

Sehun gives Jongdae a small smile, which he returns for a second before remembering himself, schooling his features back into a neutral expression. Sehun steps in front of Jongdae, facing the werewolves.

“Please, forgive my…friend,” he says, his hand reaching behind him to grab onto Jongdae’s, which he shakes off petulantly. “He’s not as informed of the situation as I am.”

He snatches Jongdae’s arm into his grip and keeps it there, forcing Jongdae to take a step back when he steps back himself. “And I apologise for interrupting but we must leave,” Sehun says, quickly muttering a spell under his breath and Jongdae sees the werewolves lunge –

And then they’re in a room, Sehun’s hand retreating quickly. Jongdae doesn’t understand why he’s so disappointed by it.

“What the fuck was that?” Jongdae asks.

“You were going after the wrong beings, and you were about to get yourself killed,” Sehun says, voice unconcerned but his look is anything but. Jongdae swallows. “Those werewolves had not taken anyone.”

“Then what was it, oh mighty one?” Jongdae drawls, feeling anger taking over any other emotions he’s feeling.

“A kitsune,” Sehun says simply, walking away to the desk in front a giant view of a forest. Jongdae glances around the room, taking in the expensive furnishings.

“Where are we?” Jongdae asks. It looks too impersonal to be a home. Sehun waves him off.

“Not important,” he dismisses, turning to face him as he leans on the edge of the desk and folds his arms over his chest. “What is important is that you thought you could take on a small pack of werewolves by yourself. And you are also going to need my help catching the kitsune.”

“Kitsunes haven’t been seen in Korea for at least ten years,” Jongdae huffs, rolling his eyes. The fox equivalent of werewolves, not as common but a lot stronger, were thought to have been killed off in the country. “And I wasn’t going to attack the werewolves, I was doing surveillance.”

“By shooting one in the leg and threatening to shoot the other in the head? Good job _hunter_ ,” Sehun says, tone mocking. It just makes Jongdae more cross.

“Look if this is a kitsune I need to get back to the job now, so –“ he motions towards the witch, “- take me back or whatever.”

Sehun pushes off from the desk, looking just as angry as Jongdae feels. “You think I’m just gonna let you go back into when you’re acting this reckless? No way.”

“You can’t keep me here, _witch_ ,” he spits, feeling satisfied at the way Sehun twitches visibly.

The witch takes a deep breath, calming himself before he steps into Jongdae’s personal space but the hunter isn’t one to back down, so he stands his ground, looks up and expects to see a sneer on Sehun’s face – but he looks concerned and Jongdae’s breath catches in the back of his throat.

“I was so worried when you,” he swallows, bringing a hand up to run through the hair above Jongdae’s ear, letting it rest at the back of his head. Jongdae hears the voice in the back of his mind telling to step away but he can’t. “When you were stabbed. I…”

“Vampire,” Jongdae says quietly. “Stabbed me because I got distracted by a certain witch trying to contact me.”

“And I am truly sorry,” Sehun whispers. Jongdae doesn’t know why his heart is racing. “I didn’t mean for any harm to come to you.”

Sehun stares for a long time, and Jongdae stares back, losing himself to the feel of Sehun’s fingers stroking softly through his hair. It’s only when his phone chimes with a text does he look away, taking a shaky breath in, stepping back from the witch so he can think properly.

“Well,” he clears his throat. “I need to finish this job. I’ve never hunted a kitsune.”

“I’ll help,” Sehun says, cocky smirk back in place. Jongdae tries to ignore how disappointed he feels. “You’re going to need me.”

Jongdae doesn’t know why he nods in agreement.

Or maybe he does. He doesn’t want to think about it right now.

One monster at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I procrastinated this chapter right until the very last minute because I just wasn't feeling what I had done with it and just, ugh yeah. hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things again uhu also I'm like really excited to write Jongdae and Sehun fighting together!!! uhuuuuuu
> 
> also I just really wanna write a separate prologue of sehun doing witchy things in earlier times like oof ya know? :))))))))) x


	8. Chapter 8

“Why can’t you just let me take the lead here?” Jongdae huffs, rubbing his arms absently as they sit in a car Sehun had somehow procured when Jongdae had slept the night before.

“Because you are bullheaded and like to rush into things like a hunter normally does,” Sehun says, sickly-sweet, fiddling with the heater. He rests into the back of his seat again before looking over at Jongdae. “And I know a little more about kitsunes than you.”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Jongdae mutters, relaxing more as hot air blasts through the car.

“Is it so unbelievable?” Sehun asks as he raises an eyebrow. “I’ve not been one to turn away when another being is upsetting the peace before. Do you not trust me?”

“Would you trust someone who forced a connection between your mind and theirs and constantly uses it to mess with you?” he retorts, relishing in the faint redness that runs down Sehun’s neck, a vein popping out as he controls himself.

“ _You_ were the one trying to use magic against a witch in the first place,” he says lowly, the air crackling between them. Jongdae for some reason is anticipating the fight between them – it’s comfortable, something he knows he can fall back on with Sehun. “ _You_ were the one trying to establish a connection to me.”

“I was only trying to find where you were. I didn’t want this chicken-shit way to communicate with you,” he spits.

Sehun’s eyes flash purple as he reaches out with one hand, closing it around Jongdae’s throat and applying pressure before he has a chance to wrap his fingers around Sehun’s wrist. The hunter’s heartrate spikes, his gasp choked off and he swings wildly in retaliation, only for the witch to deflect his fist easily with this other hand. He releases Jongdae’s neck and the hunter doesn’t waste a second as he throws another punch, knuckles connecting satisfyingly with Sehun’s jaw, clearly not expecting anything from him.

 

“Would you just for once not be an asshole?” Jongdae gets out between clearing his throat, which Sehun scoffs at, clutching his jaw in one hand.

“I think you should be asking that of yourself,” he says, venomous. Something catches his attention, his head whipping around, away from Jongdae. “Look.”

Jongdae leans sideways, towards the dashboard to look out the driver’s side window, squinting at the meagre light the streetlamp is giving off. It takes him a moment but he finally spots him, his eyes very faintly reflecting yellow as he skulks through an alley beside the diner. It’s still open, another two hours before they shut up shop, and the man is just…waiting there. He paces the short alleyway, craning his neck out every time he reaches the street to stare at the diner’s entrance before resuming his pacing. Jongdae leans back.

“So we going to go kill him?” he asks, already moving to open the door. Sehun puts his hand over Jongdae’s to stop him.

“He could just be a creepy human,” he mutters, giving Jongdae a look. “We wait it out.”

Jongdae huffs, shaking off the weird tingle in his fingers at Sehun’s touch. He thinks of what those fingers can do, have done to him and he feels his face heating up, mortified that he’s thinking of Sehun’s hands instead of watching the creep across the road.

“You alright?” the witch asks, hand moving up and down Jongdae’s arm in a comforting gesture, though the heat from his palm doesn’t help Jongdae’s train of thought.

“Fine,” he croaks out, wanting to both move Sehun’s hand elsewhere and also break it. It’s frustrating.

They lapse into charged silence; it’s as if Sehun can read his thoughts, his fingers dancing up to run through the short hair at the nape of his neck. Jongdae clears his throat purposefully and Sehun stops playing with his hair but doesn’t move away, and Jongdae convinces himself it’s easier to just keep the peace, that he doesn’t enjoy the comforting weight.

Jongdae forces himself to focus on the man on the other side of the road, now staring at a pair of boys leaving the diner and Jongdae sucks in a sharp breath.

“You think…” he whispers, feeling Sehun’s fingers tighten a fraction before they relax.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Sehun says, opening his door quickly.

 

Jongdae follows suit, only just remembering not to slam his door closed before Sehun is grabbing his wrist and they start running to where the man has disappeared around the other side of the diner, down a small street. Their footfalls disrupt the calm, Jongdae’s breath loud to his own ears. A piercing scream has him running faster, the dull sound of fists connecting with flesh spurring him on. They run out onto a connecting street, luckily void of cars, and Jongdae swings around frantically searching for the two boys. He turns when Sehun yells his name, the witch already running the other way, towards the two guys fighting, the second kid prone on the ground near them.

He watches as Sehun’s magic crackles to life, bright spindles of indigo lightning continuously twisting around his body. Jongdae falters only for a second at the sight, the witch looking every bit as powerful as he truly is. Sehun shouts for the boy to get out of the way but the kitsune raises a hand, his fingertips extended into gnarly claws, and sinks them into the boy’s shoulder so he can’t move away, his scream cut off when the kitsune pulls him in front of himself, using him as a shield.

Sehun stops metres away and Jongdae catches up to him, keeping an arm’s length between them, lest he want to be electrocuted himself. “Let the boy go,” the witch all but snarls, the bolts brightening for a moment, like a warning.

The kitsune sneers. “Oh yeah? What do I get out of it?” he asks, his other clawed hand raising to rest against the hollow of the boy’s throat and Jongdae inhales sharply.

“Your life,” Sehun answers, voice low and deadly. The monster just laughs.

“Boring,” he sighs, pouting dramatically as his eyes flash yellow, pupils narrowing into slits.

 

He rips his claws through the terrified boy’s throat before either of them have a chance to move, blood gushing out of the wound as he crumples to the ground. Jongdae can’t stop staring at the boy’s expression, fear plain across his face, as he fights for breath as he bleeds out. The hunter is overtaken by inexplicable rage, shouting as he charges towards the kitsune, plucking the long blade he had strapped to his thigh out of its sheath, ignoring Sehun’s shout of his name. The guy grins, claws detracting as he side-steps Jongdae’s swing, pushing him hard in the back, almost losing his balance. He swings around just as Sehun steps up to the monster, fist enclosed entirely in mauve lightning as he punches the kitsune right in the centre of his chest.

Lightning bolts rip across the kitsune’s body, rippling through his skin as he screams, doesn’t have a chance to recover as Sehun lands another blow to his abdomen, close to his spleen. His entire body lights up with the magic coursing through him, orifices glowing almost white, his veins and organs visible in contrast to the way his muscles are lit. Jongdae stands, transfixed as Sehun’s own eyes flash purple as he mouths something the hunter can’t catch over the loud crackling of the lightning. He looks back at Jongdae then, like he knows Jongdae wants to finish this, giving him the okay to go ahead. He runs forward, bringing his blade up and without waiting sinks it into the kitsune’s back, piercing straight through his heart.

A strangled howl rips from the monster’s throat, Jongdae pulling back as Sehun pushes another pulse of lightning through the guy’s body, skin bubbling from the intense heat. And then Sehun’s jerking his hands back, magic receding with him, leaving the body to drop to the ground in a pile of burnt limbs. Blood vessels have burst in his eyes, making Jongdae’s stomach queasy, crimson streaking from his eyes, nose, ears. Jongdae can’t even feel slightly bad at the overkill. Monsters deserve it.

He turns away to stare at the lifeless body of the boy, now bled out, eyes open in terror. Jongdae’s chest heaves as he crouches down, closing his eyelids as if that will make him looks more peaceful; the huge chunk of his neck that’s been gouged out counteracts any attempts. Jongdae turns to the other boy only to find him dead too, half of his skull removed completely and his brain missing. Jongdae has a strong stomach but these were two young _innocent_ boys, hadn’t even started to live their life.

 

“He ate his pituitary gland,” Sehun says softly, Jongdae glancing over to see the witch poking at the missing brains.

“We fucked up,” Jongdae says thickly, feeling tears of anger well up before he can even stop them. “We could’ve stopped this.”

“Jongdae this is my fault,” Sehun says, pulling him away from the body that he keeps staring at. “I’m sorry.”

“I should’ve trusted my gut instinct,” he says, more to himself, hardly feeling Sehun’s arms around his middle as he tugs him away from the scene. He glances down at his hands, covered in the kitsune’s blood. “I should’ve gone when I thought to.”

Sehun whispers a spell, one that Jongdae’s heard before, and then they’re in a study room, windows replacing two of the four walls of the room. He’s seen this place before, vaguely remembers Sehun showing it to him in one of his mind projections, but he doesn’t want to think about that right now, doesn’t want to think at all.

“We were too late,” he eventually whispers after a while of Sehun staring at him, gauging him. “We should’ve killed him straight away.”

“I’m sorry Jongdae, truly,” Sehun says softly. “This is not your fault.”

“Two kids are dead because of me!” he shouts, slapping Sehun’s hand away when it reaches for him. “Two kids are dead because of you!”

“I know,” he murmurs, watching as Jongdae starts to struggle to breathe properly, emotions overwhelming him.

“How can you be so calm!” Jongdae yells, struggling when Sehun catches him in his arms. “How can you be so calm.”

Sehun says nothing, just hugs him tight, rubbing soothing circles into his back until he calms down.

“Make me forget,” Jongdae whispers into Sehun’s collarbone. “Please, just…please.”

 

The witch cradles his face, tilts it up slowly as he searches for something in Jongdae’s face, for what the hunter doesn’t know. He must find whatever it is though because he leans down to press a searing kiss to Jongdae’s lips, the hunter’s fingers clinging to the back of Sehun’s shirt as he kisses back. The witch’s lips are soft and inviting, easy to lose himself in the feel of that mouth as he presses himself flush against the elder. Jongdae wastes no time, hands sliding down to squeeze Sehun’s ass, relishing in the muffled moan he lets out as he bucks forward.

Sehun pulls away with a loud pop, muttering the same spell he used before to move them to the bedroom, a large spacious room with modern furniture, the bed simple but larger than any bed Jongdae has ever seen in his life. He doesn’t have much time to admire it before Sehun is hauling him off his feet, Jongdae letting out a high squeak, dropping him onto the heavenly mattress. Jongdae moans at the soft give of the bed, moans again at the hot trace of Sehun’s hands as they trail up from his thighs to his chest. He settles over Jongdae, kissing his breath away, rocking down quickly in his lap. It doesn’t take long for them both to get worked up, the friction of Sehun’s ass against his dick getting him hard in no time, Sehun biting down hard on his lower lip and pulling when Jongdae squeezes his ass again.

They both seem to want less layers between them at the same time, Sehun sitting up as Jongdae yanks his shirt up. Helping each other undress quickly, Jongdae moves back on the giant ass bed until his back meets the headboard, watching Sehun with hooded eyes as he crawls back over him. The witch grips both of their dicks in one hand, Jongdae surging up to capture Sehun’s lips again as he strokes them fast, a little rough and dry but Jongdae doesn’t mind, letting the sensation overwhelm him. Sehun keeps going, even when Jongdae starts trembling, feeling his orgasm reach him fast. He keeps his hand on Jongdae’s cock even after he comes, voice trapped in his throat, keeps jerking him past the point of sensitivity. He shudders, whines as he tries to move away from the pain-pleasure.

“You think you can keep going?” Sehun whispers, not stilling his hand even for a second. “Jongdae?”

“Yeah,” he croaks out, letting out a shuddered breath as Sehun applies more pressure to his cock. “Ah!”

His cock doesn’t soften at all, pulsing as Sehun eventually shuffles down his body and licks a hot stripe to the underside, tongue swirling around the head. His hips twitch up as the witch sinks down the length, enveloping him in the hot heat of his mouth. Jongdae lets out a broken moan of the other’s name, a stream of _ah-ah-ahs_ following as Sehun bobs his head, sucking hard on his way up.

“Ah! Sehun please,” Jongdae says, pulling hard at the witch’s hair until he eases off his dick.

Sehun reaches beneath the pillow beside Jongdae, moving back with an almost-empty bottle of lube in hand, uncapping the lid as he pours a liberal amount over his fingers. Jongdae sighs, relaxing into the sheets for a split moment until Sehun moves to straddle his waist again and he frowns, not comprehending.

“Want you in me,” Sehun pants out as he reaches back to push a finger in himself, Jongdae choking on his own spit as the pleasure that crosses the other’s face.

 

He works himself open quickly, breathing harshly as Jongdae tickles his sides, leaning up to suck hard on a nipple. He slips another finger in and rocks back down on it, biting down on his lip as his cock rubs against Jongdae’s as he ruts forward. He barely stretches himself with a third finger before he’s pulling them out, pouring a bit more lube on his hand and applying it to Jongdae’s dick, squeezing hard around the head just to make the hunter squirm. Sehun slides forward, hands gripping the headboard to steady himself, Jongdae holding his dick up until it’s pressed against Sehun’s rim, almost breaching. Sehun takes it slow, rocking very shallowly, like he’s teasing Jongdae.

The hunter lifts his hips, the head of his cock slipping past the ring of muscle and Sehun yelps in surprise, morphing into a moan as he sinks down faster, unable to tease further when Jongdae is splitting him open so well. He tells the hunter as much, letting out praises that make his cock twitch inside the other.

“So good,” Sehun gasps, hands tight on the headboard as he quickly swivels his hips, ass bouncing up and down as he keeps a brutal pace, watching Jongdae’s face twist in pleasure.

Jongdae’s hands travel wherever he can reach; up Sehun’s ribs, gripping his thighs, twisting his nipples. It just makes Sehun snap his hips down, skin slapping harshly against Jongdae’s upper thighs.

The hunter comes when Sehun swivels his hips and clenches down hard, the orgasm catching him off-guard. He screams as his balls tighten painfully, eyes pinching shut as Sehun eases up but doesn’t stop, murmuring his name to make sure he’s okay. Jongdae responds by wrapping his hand around Sehun’s dick, gritting his teeth when his ass clenches, planting his feet and fucking into the witch hard and fast. It’s satisfying seeing Sehun unravel before him, his brows pinching and his mouth dropping open as he grunts, coming all over Jongdae’s stomach and hand. He instantly deflates, heavy in Jongdae’s arms but the hunter can’t complain, feeling just as boneless.

Sehun whispers a spell sleepily, Jongdae’s skin clearing of all grime and bodily fluids as the witch mouths mindlessly at his neck, his mouth warm and comforting. Jongdae kicks at the sheets until it is freed from beneath him, pulling it over the top of them when Sehun pulls off of his soft cock, kissing him in apology at how sensitive he feels. He cuddles into Sehun’s embrace, mind blissfully quiet save from how warm and safe he feels, slipping into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another crazy week, another week of me procrastinating until the last minute >.<  
> I hope y'all enjoy the idea of sehun destroying people with his magic bc same   
> I apologise bc how do people write sex and make it natural lmao I'm sorry this is trash
> 
> also is anyone else really feeling this drought bc man I am READY for new content @ sm please let exo out thank u xoxoxo


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is so late oof, I was trying to finish the chapter up yesterday but I've come down with another cold (I almost always get sick when we come into spring and it's so stuPID) and I just couldn't focus :((( I don't really know what I've written here but I hope it's not too much of a mess uhuu x

Jongdae wakes from the best sleep he’s had in a long time, body snuggled in a blissful warmth that he doesn’t want to escape from. It takes him a while to fully rouse, shifting his head from its place on Sehun’s solid chest to look up at him through squinted eyes, taking in how relaxed and sweet he looks whilst he sleeps. Jongdae watches the way his mouth opens shallowly, feels the way Sehun’s arms twitch around his middle as he dreams, and Jongdae wonders why he’s so endeared by the scene before him, why he’s not running for the hills. He rests his chin on Sehun’s chest again, fingers trailing mindless patterns over the witch’s bare skin, smiles when the muscles contract under his touch.

Sehun eventually stirs, when Jongdae’s fingers start to tickle too much, snuffling noises escaping his mouth as he cracks his eyes open. His smile is the softest, sweetest Jongdae’s ever seen grace his face and it takes his breath away, how beautiful he is, even looking down at Jongdae at such an odd angle. It’s like a strange fragmented image when memories of last night move to the forefront of his mind - Sehun’s open, unusually vulnerable face layered with the memory of his face screwed up in pleasure, layered with his eyes glowing as he electrocutes the kitsune, layered with the lifeless eyes of that young boy with his throat slashed open, exposing bone. Jongdae sucks a breath between his teeth, pulls away, everything too much.

“Jongdae?” Sehun calls softly, sitting up when the hunter does so. “Dae?”

His touch is like fire and Jongdae jerks away, his heart beating too fast. “I –”

 

He scrambles out of the sheets, tripping when his foot is snagged, righting himself quickly as Sehun calls out for him again. The younger ignores him, ignores the stupid little voice that tells him to go back, to jump back into Sehun’s arms. Sehun is a witch, and he and Jongdae inadvertently killed two innocent people last night because they were distracted. Jongdae sees that boy’s face again, his eyes piercing him even in death, and the air feels too thin, and too stuffy. A blank wall of white obscures his vision and he halts from where he was moving to his clothes strewn on the floor, unable to see no matter how many times he blinks.

“Jongdae,” Sehun calls again, concern bleeding through his tone. “Talk to me.”

“I need to go,” he rasps out, clears his throat.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, and Jongdae twitches when he hears the witch move off the bed, hears his footsteps come closer until he can feel the heat of Sehun’s body.

“Let me see again,” Jongdae says, trying to catch that small irritation he feels and focus on that instead of any other emotion. “Stop fucking around.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” Sehun says, childishly in Jongdae’s ears.

“Everything’s wrong!” he yells and in Sehun’s surprise at the volume his mirage falters. “We just let two boys die last night and you want to play house? Do you even care?”

“You didn’t seem to have a problem last night when you fucked me,” Sehun says lowly.

“You knew it was to distract me,” he says, watching Sehun’s jaw work, lets the words drive home when he continues, “nothing more.”

“Get out,” Sehun bites out, voice colder than Jongdae has ever heard. He turns away from the hunter, stalking to the other side of the bed and pulling some pants up on his hips roughly.

Jongdae expected more of a fight, sort of wanted it. “That’s it?” he sneers when Sehun looks up at him. “Got nothing else?”

Sehun appears right before him in an instant, hand closing around his throat in warning. Jongdae’s sure the witch can feel his pulse quicken. “Do not test me, hunter. You forget who I am,” he murmurs, eyes flashing.

Jongdae must have a death wish, as he spits out, “A monster, right?”

 

The witch bares his teeth, feral in image, before yelling a spell, and then they’re in Kyungsoo’s pub, only two or three people in the whole place, bar themselves, who all turn to them in surprise. He doesn’t get chance to say anything before Sehun has disappeared, leaving him stark naked in the middle of the room in front of a couple strangers. He quickly covers his dick and runs to Kyungsoo’s office, seething, surprising the occupants of the room.

“Jongdae?” Seulgi says, looking up to the ceiling. “Why are you here? Naked? At eight in the fucking morning?”

“You alright?” Kyungsoo asks from his seat behind his desk, frowning, eventually swivelling around and opening one of his drawers behind him, pulling out a pair of pants. At Jongdae’s raised brows he just shrugs, says, “Never know what’s gonna happen here.”

Jongdae asks Seulgi to turn around before Kyungsoo throws the pants to him, slipping into them as he tries to control his anger, his surprise at what the witch had done. “Thanks,” he mutters, getting a nod from Kyungsoo, Seulgi turning back around with her hands on her hips.

“So?” she asks, eyes wide. “Why were you starkers in the bar? You lose a bet or somethin’?”

Jongdae shakes his head, pursing his lips as he tries to think of a quick lie. “Don’t wanna talk about it,” he eventually says. “I’m just gonna go take a shower.”

“Alright,” they both say in unison. Seulgi continues on, “Good seein’ you Jongdae.”

He smiles at her, small but genuine, bringing her in for a one-armed hug. “It’s good seeing you too. Where’s Joohyun?”

“She’s doin’ some research,” Seulgi says, getting this look in her eye that’s always present when she talks about her girlfriend. “Said she’d be here in about three hours or so.”

Jongdae nods, catching himself before he curls his lip at how in love the woman looks. He wonders what he looks like when he talks about Sehun, then squashes the thought instantly. He rushes out an “I’ll be back” as he makes his way to Kyungsoo’s house, the place still smelling of those sandalwood candles Kyungsoo likes when he steps inside. He’s quick to jump in the shower, letting the scalding water ease the tension in his shoulders, washes his hair as well when he realises how dirty it feels. It’s like getting rid of last night completely, the faint scent that lingered from Sehun’s place swirling down the drain, overridden by the minty shower gel his best friend uses all the time.

 

He’s drying his hair, seated at Kyungsoo’s kitchen bar with a bowl of leftovers he picked out of the fridge, feeling drained, wanting nothing more than to be distracted from his own thoughts. He throws the towel down beside the bowl, eating a couple spoonfuls, the taste bland in his mouth. He keeps seeing Sehun’s face, his sweet smile – then having it morph to how he looked when Jongdae had called him a monster, how hurt he had looked. Jongdae didn’t truly mean it, even as much as he wanted to, knows that Sehun is powerful but keeps to himself mostly, only does anything in defence. And he had helped Jongdae, a hunter, which as unsettling as it sounds to Jongdae, felt so natural, easy to fight side-by-side. He had fought beside him without so much as asking anything of the hunter which was just as surprising. Jongdae knew Sehun had a fixation on him, just as much as he does on the witch, but he’s never really thought _why_. Why is so hellbent on catching Sehun? And why is Sehun so fascinated with him, a mere human that kills witches just like him?

Jongdae sighs, feeling way too exhausted for ten in the morning. He’s cleaning his plate when the suds warp, rippling into a façade of the view from Sehun’s study, looking down at the bustling city below.

_Sehun_.

“ _Jongdae_ ,” the witch sighs, voice echoing through every corner of Jongdae’s mind. “ _I want to apologise._ ”

_I…_

 

Sehun shushes him, the vision spinning around to Sehun’s wall of books, his hands coming into view to run along the spines; Jongdae appreciates how pretty they look, masculine that they are. “ _I should not have blown up at you like I did this morning, and I apologise,_ ” he says, stopping in front of a section of botanical volumes. “ _I knew you were baiting me and I still took it.”_

_I’m sorry about that,_ Jongdae thinks, remembering again how he had looked when Jongdae had goaded him. He swallows over the uncomfortable feeling as he continues, _I didn’t mean it._

“ _I accept your apology,_ ” Sehun says. He pulls a _Guide to Algae in Witchcraft_ from the shelf and takes it over to his desk. “ _Please accept mine.”_

_I already had. Not that you needed to apologise._

_“Thank you Jongdae,_ ” he says, relief evident in his voice. It makes Jongdae simultaneously warm and queasy. “ _I was wondering…if you would like to help me with something?”_

_Depends_ , he replies, Sehun’s laugh loud in his mind.

“ _On what it is?”_ he asks and Jongdae nods, feeling stupid when he catches himself.

_Yes, obviously._

_“I need help with a hunt,”_ Sehun says, hopeful.

_Of course_ , Jongdae replies instantly.

 

_Anything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is also not as long as the other chapters, but I'm hoping to have the next a little larger (fingers crossed)
> 
> also jongdae's finally starting to realise it's more than just a hunt when it comes to sehun!!?1!??!! uhuuuuuuuu


	10. Chapter 10

Jongdae doesn’t know how to approach asking Kyungsoo to not only give him a lift back to his hotel room, a two hour drive from the bar, but to also tell him what’s happened since he last spoke with him, four days ago, before Sehun had turned up and made him the mess he is now. He’s pacing in front of the door to Kyungsoo’s office, biting the corner of his thumb as he tries to figure out what to say, when the door opens, Kyungsoo looking at him with a strange mixture of amusement and concern.

“You wanna come in?” he asks, though it doesn’t sound like much of a question when he moves back to his desk, sitting heavily in his chair, clearly expecting Jongdae to follow. The latter closes the door behind him, fingers twitching at his sides, and Kyungsoo sighs, clearly fed up with Jongdae dawdling. “What’s up?”

Jongdae purses his lips, considers not even asking for anything at all, but he’s made a promise to meet up with Sehun tomorrow so he takes a deep breath in and on his exhale, asks, “You think you could drive me back to my hotel room?”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows raise almost comically, clearly not expecting the question. “Uh, sure. You gonna tell me how you got here when the last I heard you were a couple hours away at least? And how you got here without your car? Or clothes even?”

“Can I explain on the way?” he asks, hoping that by the time they get into the car Kyungsoo will have forgotten all about it and he won’t have to bring it up at all. He receives another deep long-suffering sigh, his friend rubbing his eyes with a hand before he agrees, tells him to meet him at his car in ten.

Kyungsoo unlocks the car with the press of a button, the both of them easing into the car’s comfy leather seats before Kyungsoo’s starting the car, revving the engine before he’s pulling smoothly onto the road, letting Jongdae fiddle with the air conditioning until he’s found a comfortable setting, turning the radio up so he can fill the silence. It’s not a bad silence per se, but Jongdae would rather listen to whatever shitty country band is playing right now than have to face Kyungsoo’s judgement.

It doesn’t last long however. They’re not even ten minutes down the road from Kyungsoo’s bar, still on the simple two-lane strip with mostly fields of dying grass encasing them, when Kyungsoo brings it up.

 

“So,” he starts, one hand on the wheel whilst his left arm rests on the centre console, looking every bit nonchalant as he clearly wants to be. “You ready to tell me now?”

Jongdae groans. “It’s – it’s embarrassing,” he eventually says, looking out the window to his left, so he won’t have to look at his friend.

“Surely it can’t be that bad,” he says, giving Jongdae a small encouraging smile. Jongdae picks at the seam of the sweatpants he’s borrowed from Kyungsoo.

“Well,” he says dryly, before sighing.

 

Jongdae tells Kyungsoo about the disappearing people, reminds him of how he thought it was the resident werewolves and how he had tried to catch them in the act but had only gotten jumped instead. He tries not to sound too relieved when he talks about Sehun showing up and basically teleporting them out of harm’s way. Kyungsoo nods along, making little noises under his breath to show he’s listening.

“It ended up being a kitsune,” he says, closing his eyes as the memories filter back once more, still making his stomach flip unpleasantly. “It killed two kids, Soo. Two kids we could’ve saved.”

Kyungsoo lets out this high noise of surprise, glancing over at him. “ _We?”_ he asks, raising a brow, and Jongdae flushes.

“Shut up, you know what I meant,” he grumbles, letting Kyungsoo squeeze his knee in apology.

He takes a shuddering breath in, that poor kid’s eyes still haunting him, and probably will for a long time, before he continues, telling his best friend about how Sehun _electrocuted_ the kitsune before letting Jongdae finish it off and then took him back to his place, going red in the face as he quickly mutters they slept together, which Kyungsoo bursts into laughter at. He shakes his head when Jongdae asks, “What?” in a snippy voice, just motions for him to keep going as he weaves through the minimal traffic with ease, now they’re closer to town.

“I woke up yesterday morning,” he starts, swallows over the dryness of his mouth. “I woke up in his bed and he was just giving me this look and I- I panicked, I don’t know. I looked at him and I remembered the night before and I freaked out.” He frowns, letting out his breath. “We ended up fighting.”

“Sounds about right,” Kyungsoo mutters.

“That’s how I ended up at your bar naked as the day I was born,” he cracks a smile when Kyungsoo snorts at that, but settles back into a frown soon after. “He used that spell again before I’d even had a chance to put my clothes on and then disappeared not even a second later.”

“Dickhead,” Kyungsoo mutters, and Jongdae bites his lip from defending the witch.

 

Why does he want to so badly? It was a shitty move to drop Jongdae like that, but he also knows he’s the one who goaded Sehun in the first place, hit him where he knew it would hurt. But doing that will just show a vulnerability Jongdae isn’t ready to accept just yet, so he just hums noncommittedly, looking at the stretch of road ahead of them. There’s housing and storefronts dotting the sides of the road now, close to the hotel Jongdae was staying at, and he feels something akin to excitement at seeing Sehun again soon, tries to squash it down as much as possible.

Kyungsoo peels into the parking lot not too long after, pulling his handbrake up before glancing over at Jongdae. “Am I taking you back home?” he asks, nodding when Jongdae shakes his head, like he expected as much. “Where are you headed off to?”

He shrugs, not wanting to tell Kyungsoo he’s meeting up with Sehun. “Not sure,” he says after a long pause, smiling at his friend. “I’m sure there are plenty of monsters around that need me to kill them though.”

Kyungsoo barks out a short laugh. “As if you’re the one and only hunter that is capable,” he says, shaking his head. When he looks back at Jongdae though, his expression is serious, eyes searching like he’s peeling back layer after layer, finding Jongdae’s soft weak centre. It makes him uncomfortable, always has, but he does his best not to squirm. “Be safe,” he eventually says and Jongdae nods, feeling small.

“I will,” he promises. “Have a safe drive back. Thanks again for all of this Soo.”

He nods, still doing the thing with his eyes and Jongdae shakes his head, opens the door and eases himself out, the air warm and a little sticky. “I mean it,” Kyungsoo says just as he’s about to close the door and he cocks his head to the side, not understanding. “Be safe. Please keep me updated so I know you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“Of course,” he says softly, reaching out with his hand outstretched, Kyungsoo’s own slipping into his without hesitation. He gives it a tight squeeze before they let go, feeling like this is a bigger goodbye for some reason. “I’ll call you.”

 

 

He has to pick the lock to get back into his room, thankful that he’d left a _do not disturb_ sign hanging on the doorknob before leaving a couple of days ago, the place exactly as he’d left it: research still scattered over the small coffee table, bed covers still in disarray, a few empty beer bottles scattered around the room. He makes quick work of cleaning up, packing his clothes back into his duffel, neatening up his files before putting them into his journal, clearing away the rubbish and half-heartedly making the bed. He steps up to the door, doing one last sweep of the place in case he forgot anything, before grabbing the room key and checking out, heaving a deep breath as he slides into his car.

He’s nervous, this unchartered territory he finds himself in, that keeps blurring lines he never dreamed he would cross five years ago. When his brother and parents were killed by vampires he swore he would do anything in his power to stop the evil things that kill innocent people, would never let them get away so long as he was breathing.

He’s starting to realise that maybe everything isn’t as black and white as he had originally thought, some beings turned without choice, some born into this life with no option to leave. It’s hard for him to wrap his head around, years of thinking and believing that all supernatural beings are monsters, but he’s cracking, remembers how quickly Kyungsoo and Joohyun had accepted the idea that he might be interested in a witch. He shakes his head, tries to clear the lingering images of Sehun out of his mind as he calls out for said witch.

“ _Hello pet_ ,” is how Sehun answers and Jongdae worries why there’s no irritation at the name, but brushes it off. He can deal with that later. “ _Are you ready to go?_ ”

_Yeah. Tell me where to go._

“ _Better yet,”_ Sehun’s voice sounds even more distant that it usually does, and then it’s loud, too clear when he says, “How about I come along for the ride?”

Jongdae jumps three feet in the air as Sehun appears in the passenger seat beside him, looking smug at Jongdae’s reaction. “Holy shit,” he breathes out, punching Sehun in the arm before he can think it through. “Don’t fucking do that!”

“Hey!” Sehun pouts, actually pouts at Jongdae like he’s not hundreds of years old, and it steals the hunter’s breath away. “I just wanted to go on a fun road trip.”

“Yeah well,” he pauses as he turns the key in the ignition, rolling his eyes. “You could’ve told me you were going to do that.”

“But then I wouldn’t’ve surprised you,” he says, laughing when Jongdae levels him with his most unimpressed glare. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

 

Jongdae finds Sehun is actually good person to travel with for long distance trips. He keeps a steady stream of conversation going, asking mundane things about Jongdae’s life, and the hunter replies easily, finding it all too comfortable to do so. He tells Sehun about his high school years, how he did get his certificate of completion but doesn’t know why he really bothered when he knew what line of work he was going to get into. He asks Sehun stuff too, like what it was like living in the Joseon era, gets a little too excited when Sehun tells him he kept some possessions he had from the 17thcentury.

Sehun directs him when he needs to, only making one pit stop to fuel up and grab some snacks for the rest of the trip, giving him enough time to get into the right lane or before they take an offramp. It’s strangely domestic, the way Sehun keeps feeding him chips or uncapping his water when he asks for a drink, and Jongdae pauses when he realises how much he’s enjoying this. It’s _too_ easy, and he wonders if he should be more wary, if he should be panicking more about this situation. He brain is still niggling at him, telling him it’s still wrong, but he just wants to ignore it, wants to focus on the way Sehun looks when he laughs at the radio hosts’ joke. He didn’t realise how deep in he was, never thought that his obsession to catch up to Sehun was much more than wanting to _win_ , but here he is, indulging Sehun when he rests his hand on Jongdae’s thigh, fingers stroking the inseam of his jeans absently, wanting _more_. Maybe he is starting to panic about this after all.

They’re approaching Seoul and Jongdae’s eyebrows rise as he glances over at Sehun, who’s halfway down his seat in an effort to get more comfortable.

“Where the hell are we going?” Jongdae finally asks, after the radio had filled up the silence after their conversation petered off.

“My place,” Sehun says, like it’s obvious, and Jongdae almost swerves into another lane in his surprise. “Was that so shocking? You’ve been there before, technically.”

Jongdae splutters. “Yeah but how was I supposed to know that? You live in Seoul?”

“Yeah,” he says with a nod. “Got an apartment and a house.”

The hunter can’t believe what he’s hearing. “You not only have one but two places in Seoul? How fucking rich are you?” He pauses, remembers Sehun was not born even remotely close to when he was, shakes his head. “I actually don’t want to know. You probably have bars of gold lining your walls or something.”

Sehun laughs, high and sweet, and Jongdae’s heart doubles in speed. It’s like he’s just realised that he might actually like Sehun, and his body is trying to remind him at every opportunity that Sehun can affect him so much. “Maybe I should do that with my gold,” he says, contemplative. “They’re all just collecting dust in my safe.”

Jongdae gapes, making Sehun laugh again. “I’m kidding,” the witch says between giggles. “I mostly traded them off ages ago.”

“Such a smart businessman,” he drawls, rolling his eyes, but he’s smiling too. This is nice. “How did you manage to snag two places though?”

“One has been my home for about -,” he pauses, Jongdae catching him in his peripheral vision counting with his fingers, “- five hundred years, I think? It’s been renovated numerous times, but the block of land has been mine for about that long.”

“What the fuck,” Jongdae whispers under his breath, slightly awed. It hits that nail on the head though, that Sehun and he are just so _different_ , and yet…

He clears his throat. “Am I going the right way?” he says as they make their way through Jongno-gu, the traffic lessening considerably, and Sehun makes a noise of affirmation as he sits up in his seat, groaning when he stretches his back.

“Yeah,” he adds, pointing to direct which streets Jongdae needs to take until they’re in Gahoe-dong, and Jongdae curses under his breath when he finally realises. “You live in Bukchon? You have a fucking hanok?”

Sehun smiles, like he’s very proud of the fact. “I built it myself,” he says, puffing up his chest. “With a little magic to keep it in top condition of course.”

“Of course you own a fucking hanok,” Jongdae mutters under his breath, pulling into a narrow alley and parking the car when Sehun says to.

 

The witch grabs Jongdae’s duffel before he can move for it himself, stepping out of the car and waiting for Jongdae to meet him on his side. As the hunter is locking his car Sehun motions with his hand at the hanok across the tiny street, two large, dark wooden doors facing them, beautiful even in their simplistic design. Jongdae takes in the gorgeous architecture, the swirling design of red bricks inlaid with the grey bricks that form the surrounding walls, a tiny shiver running through him knowing that this was made _for_ Sehun, not just acquired through family descendance.

The witch leads him to the door, uses no key but instead mutters an incantation, the round traditional door handles glowing with Sehun’s purple magic as they unlock, opening without protest. It’s nearing eight at night, but it’s still quite bright, the sun still giving light even though it is low enough to not be seen directly. The air is quiet and calm and Jongdae suddenly feels very nervous, wiping his hands down the front of his jeans. This feels like a step in a direction of their relationship, but which direction Jongdae’s not sure. Sehun’s trusting him enough to allow him into his home, not just his apartment, and something about that makes Jongdae’s stomach flip.

They walk through the high archway into the courtyard, larger than Jongdae would’ve thought it would be, large clay pots sitting in two rows to his right, near the steps that wrap around the whole courtyard, directly to the ornate, dark wooden doors. There’s a small tree and various plants in the centre of the courtyard, stone steps to guide you through. It’s gorgeous, taking Jongdae’s breath away. This is not just a piece of Korean history, but Sehun’s history too, and he’s still reeling when Sehun places a hand in the crook of his elbow, gently tugging him to the left.

“Come on,” he says softly and Jongdae follows in a daze, barely remembering to take his shoes off on the second step before entering the room, a low table set in the centre of the room. “This is the guest section of the house,” he explains. “Living room for a lack of a better term, then the bedroom is just behind you, bathroom is through these doors here.”

Jongdae nods, too stunned to speak as he takes it all in. He just can’t believe this place is Sehun’s, that they’re not paying to stay here for just a night. Sehun opens the doors to the bathroom, crooks a finger in a come-hither motion, Jongdae trailing after him. There’s another set of doors on the other side of the bathroom, most of the rooms seemingly connected in an open area sort of style. They make their way through to a more spacious room, the flooring inlaid with intricate carvings and patterns, large murals on the walls. Sehun explains it’s the main entertaining area, one he used quite often “back in the day.”

“This is fucking insane,” Jongdae breathes and Sehun just smiles, like he’s genuinely happy that Jongdae likes the place. He wants to kiss Sehun.

He’s thinking maybe he should, maybe he should just say fuck it to that side of him that keeps reminding him _witch witch witch_ , but just as he starts to lean forward Sehun’s ringtone starts blasting in the quiet space, startling them both. Jongdae steps back, turning away to look at the murals so Sehun won’t see how red his face is. Sehun answers the call in a clipped voice which makes the hunter smile up at the wall, the painting of plum blossoms slightly faded in colour. He turns back around when Sehun lets out a breathy “what?”, a brow raising in question as Sehun looks up at him with wide eyes.

 

“Hold up Jongin,” Sehun says, frowning. “What do you mean?”

The voice on the other end is loud enough for Jongdae to hear, albeit unclear. He watches as Sehun’s frown gets deeper, his mouth thinning into a line, and wonders what sort of news this Jongin is bearing. He’s thinking maybe he should retreat to the guest bedroom again, leave Sehun with some privacy, but Sehun is telling Jongin he’ll contact him in a few minutes.

“Fuck,” is what the witch says after he hangs up. “Fuck.”

“What is it?” Jongdae asks tentatively, unsure if he even should ask.

“That was Jongin, Baekhyun’s familiar.” The name clams Jongdae up instantly, having not forgiven the other witch for what he did. Sehun has a knowing look in his eyes as he watches Jongdae shutter off his emotions, concealing them behind a blankly curious mask. “He’s freaking out because Baekhyun has been missing for three days now, and he doesn’t go more than two days without talking to Jongin.”

Jongdae almost lets out a “ _who cares_ ” but holds it back. He instead asks, “So what does Jongin want you to do?”

“He wants me to find him,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. Jongdae only just notices that he’s now dyed parts of his hair orange as well as pink, like a pretty sunset. “Says I owe him, which I do unfortunately.”

“What are you going to do then?” he asks, biting his lip. _What am I going to do?_ is left on the tip of his tongue.

“I’m going to track him,” he says, sounding like it’s the last thing he would rather do. He looks back at Jongdae then. “Would you like to join me?”

Jongdae nods instantly, not even bothering to think about it.

 

 

When Sehun had said he was going to track him, he thought maybe tracing phone calls or computer logs, not Sehun finely chopping some herbs on a cutting board in his apartment. Sehun had said it was easier to do his spellwork in his apartment rather than his hanok so the witch used his teleportation spell to get them there faster, asking Jongdae to grab some ingredients whilst Sehun set up his utensils on his dining table. Jongdae hopes the witch doesn’t actually use it to eat at, shudders a little at the thought of what Sehun has conjured up on that very table. He recognises the study room as he passes it, realises this is what Sehun meant earlier when he mentioned that Jongdae had been to his place before. He makes his way into what Sehun had called his Ingredients Room, which Jongdae had lost it over, Sehun whacking his shoulder which made the hunter laugh even harder.

Right now though Jongdae doesn’t think he could laugh at all. Half of the room is lit by bright fluorescent lights, potted plants and herbs growing happily underneath its warm glow. The other side is almost like another room entirely, illuminated only by UV lights, and neither of the two separate lightings clash with each other. Jongdae doesn’t feel good going to that side of the room but Sehun had said the bird beaks are on the top shelf on the “dark side of the room”, so he reluctantly shuffles his feet, walking through the shelving and shining the torchlight from his phone on the various pots and jars, feeling a lot more calm at the labels – dried roots, a pot of worms, snakeskin that has been shed. He almost screams when he comes face to face with a head.

He jumps back from the leathery-skinned head, stomach heaving at the lack of eyes and the carefully preserved skin. There’s even some hair still on top of its head that makes Jongdae gag, but he swallows the bile down and quickly searches for the beaks, eventually finding them on the third shelf down instead of on the top. He’s mad that he’s had to see a mummified skull, mad that he had to go anywhere near it without even being given a proper warning so he could brace himself. He rushes out of the room with the jar of beaks, and bares his teeth when Sehun tells him to hurry up, takes his time to reach the dining room, not stepping past the threshold. Sehun looks up at him, beckons him with a hand before he continues stripping leaves from their stems, counting as he places them in the bowl.

 

“Jongdae, pass me the beaks please,” he says, waits for movement that does not come. “Jongdae.”

“What? Come get it yourself,” he retorts quickly, biting his tongue so he won’t be childish and stick it out.

"Come here, _hunter_ ," Sehun grits out, eyes focused on the bowl on the table before him and it angers Jongdae, the pet name. Sehun says it purely to get a rise out of him, and it works every time.

 

Jongdae folds his arms over his chest, defiant, Sehun resting his palms on the wooden surface as he sighs, before looking up at Jongdae and crooking two fingers in a come-hither motion, his eyes flashing with colour. A force tugs the hunter's body without his will, the toes of his boots scuffing the floor as he's dragged across the room until he's right next to Sehun. He's dropped back onto his feet, back onto solid ground, and he's seething, ready to chew the witch's ear off when Sehun yanks his hand forward, the one free of bird beaks, over the bowl and before Jongdae can even think to move Sehun is slicing a neat line along Jongdae's palm, holding firm when he struggles. The pain isn't the problem; it's Sehun chanting as he dips two fingers from his spare hand into the mixture, in circular motions as he repeats the same mantra over and over again.

Sehun eventually lets go and Jongdae staggers back, thumb pressing into the cut to help it clot up. "What the fuck -," he starts, licking his lips as he stares wide-eyed, Sehun throwing in three beaks afterwards. "What the fuck was that?"

"I needed your blood to finish the spell," Sehun says simply, crossing his arms and being mindful of the two fingers still wet with blood. “And the beaks.”

“You could just ask,” he grits out, watching as the bowl starts bubbling, the concoction growing in size. “Is that normal?”

“It’s almost ready,” Sehun says absently, watching the spell carefully. His grin when he looks up is a little scary, and yet Jongdae still finds him hot, feels a strange sliver of arousal as Sehun recites a separate spell to pull the mixture out of the bowl, fingers twitching to keep it floating mid-air, bringing it over to a map of Korea he has spread on the other end of the table. The liquid seeps through the parchment, spreading evenly thanks to Sehun using his spell to help it along, leaving the assortment of dry ingredients across the page which Sehun flicks away carelessly. It dries quickly, bar one dark spot, and Jongdae leans over to look more closely, intrigued.

“That’s where he is,” Sehun breathes out, pressing his fingers to the map, _Gwonseon-gu, Suwon_ illuminating in the same purple hue that Sehun’s magic has. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! I live! I'm mostly over this cold thank god >< I tried to flesh this chapter out a bit more, got a bit stuck so I went a different direction so I'm hoping y'all like it :) I'm still sad I didn't have Baekhyun and Jongin in this chapter, because I really wanted to, but next chapter it is! It might have made this chapter too long anyway ahahaha
> 
> I also? did so much research on hanoks and joseon dynasty but like not much really came out in the story I'm :'))))))
> 
> hope y'all enjoy xx


	11. Chapter 11

There’s something very attractive about a man who has a whole room dedicated to weaponry. Jongdae almost creams himself when Sehun flicks the lights on, white fluorescents glinting off the impeccably shiny barrels of guns. He whistles lowly as Sehun unlocks a cabinet built into the wall to reveal an assortment of bows, majority modern but a few clearly original instruments from their time, and Jongdae ghosts fingers over them reverently, feeling like these are an intimate part of Sehun somehow. The witch folds his arms over his chest as he watches Jongdae for a minute, leaning against the wall beside the cabinet as he stares.

“That’s a gakgung,” he pipes up when Jongdae stops at the oldest bow, curved nearly into a full circle, unstrung, looking worn but still serviceable. “I had it made for me when I was a scholar in the fifteenth century. The bowyer was extraordinary for his time.”

Jongdae nods, eyes never leaving the bow before him. “Can you still use it?” he asks.

“I haven’t strung it in a long time, but I assume you could,” Sehun says, far closer than he was before, his breath on Jongdae’s neck making goosebumps rise along his skin. “Anyway, let’s find some more useful equipment for you.”

Jongdae almost forgot why they were in here, and he gives a very wicked recurve bow one last forlorn look before he follows Sehun, further to where an array of blades and swords are inlaid in a glass showcase. The witch unlocks it with a flick of his wrist, little sparks of purple skittering from his fingers with the movement. “Take your pick,” he says and Jongdae nods, stepping closer to inspect them.

He eventually settles on a switchblade, which he pockets, and a nicely weighted machete, the feel of the blade a familiar comfort as he slides it into the sheath attached to the belt around his waist. Sehun pushes two semi-automatic guns into his hands as soon as he puts the machete away, straps a thigh holster on for Jongdae -smirking up at him mischievously for a moment as his hands linger too high on the inside of his thigh- and places a couple of magazines in his back pocket as he leaves Jongdae to sort out the guns. The witch takes a step back, assessing him for a beat too long, until he claps his hands together, seemingly satisfied at how many weapons are on his person, leads the hunter out of the room and turns the lights off behind them.

Sehun had magicked their other essentials into his car, a large black SUV that’s boot is filled with various bags, amongst them Jongdae’s duffel he had packed earlier. He has about thirty seconds to appreciate the glowing modern interior of the car until Jongin is calling Sehun, and the witch answers through the car’s bluetooth as he reverses out of the parking space, making his way out of the garage and merging into the street traffic with practiced ease.

 

“Jongin,” he says in lieu of greeting, switching gears. Jongdae doesn’t know why he’s so fixated on Sehun’s hand as he grips the gearstick, but he can’t move his eyes from it. “How are you?”

“ _Where_ are you?” Jongin quips back, voice tense. “And how do you think I am? I’m fucking freaking out, what am I going to do if Baekhyun dies I don’t think I’ll be able to –”

“Hey, Jongin slow down,” Sehun interrupts, checking his rear-view mirror before changing lanes. “He’s not dead, and he’s not going to die. You’d know if he was.”

Jongin makes an agreeing noise on the other end of the line. “How long until you get here?” he eventually says, quietly, a strange scratching sound in the background.

Sehun glances at the digital clock in the dashboard. “About half an hour, hour tops,” he answers, Jongin murmuring a quick okay before he hangs up. Sehun sighs.

“How would he know if Baekhyun was dead?” Jongdae asks after a few minutes of silence, Sehun weaving through thicker traffic even though it’s nearing midnight.

“Jongin is Baekhyun’s familiar,” he says. “A witch and their familiar have this bond, it’s hard to explain but, similar to our bond where we can feel the connection between us - even if we are not using it around the clock – they share a connection like that. Although theirs is more…forward, for lack of a better term. They can feel each other constantly through their bond, their emotions, their pain. It’s hard to be separate from your familiar for long periods of time, it actually becomes physically painful for both parties.”

“So if Baekhyun died…” Jongdae pauses to lick his lips. “Would he feel Baekhyun’s death himself?”

“Yes, as if he was going through death himself,” he says bluntly, and Jongdae shudders at the thought. Sehun places his hand on Jongdae’s knee, comforting. “It would not be physical, though he might think it is whilst he is going through it. It’s all mental, and the brain is particularly good at making you believe you are in real pain.”

“But severing that bond would hurt him wouldn’t it?” Jongdae asks, although he’s not thinking of only Jongin now. _Would it hurt me?_

“Yes,” Sehun says softly, fingers tightening. “It’s mostly damage to the mind, but if a bond is secure enough it can be physical as well. Magic connections are not to be taken lightly, or to be removed without proper preparation and instruction.”

“Well,” is all Jongdae can say, looking out at the busy road ahead of them, the lights blurring as his vision becomes unfocused.

The rest of the trip passes by quickly, as Jongdae mulls over this new information. He’s glad he never went and tried to break the bond between them – sure he’s thought about it, even tried reading up about how to get rid of it, but nothing solid ever came up in his searching and he left it at that, promised himself he would sort it out later. Jongdae wonders what would happen if he did sever it, how much it would hurt him, hurt Sehun. Would they feel the same level of pain? His head hurts just thinking about it.

Sehun pulls up in front of a tiny house, light paint practically glowing in the dark with how bright it is. Who Jongdae assumes is Jongin comes bounding down the front steps, hair so platinum it’s closer to white than blonde. It settles around his face, sticking out in a few places, but Jongdae is taken aback but how _young_ he looks, his skin smooth and clear. Sehun rolls down Jongdae’s window as Jongin approaches, hands curling over the window-frame as he leans in slightly. His eyes are incredibly light, pale ice blue even in the low light, piercing . It reminds Jongdae of something, unable to put his finger on it.

 

“You ready to go?” Sehun asks, and Jongdae watches as Jongin bobs his head, looking more frantic, as if he had just remembered why Sehun was here. Jongin looks at him then, staring at him questioningly. “This is Jongdae. He’s gonna help us find Baekhyun.”

Jongdae jerks back when Jongin fucking _sniffs_ at his neck, leaning in close and inhaling deep one last time. “He’s only human,” he pauses to sniff him again and Jongdae moves further away, cutting Sehun a look when he snorts. “He’s…a hunter?”

Jongdae watches the smile slip right off Sehun’s face as Jongin lets out what Jongdae can only describe as a growl, a low, deep rumbling come from within his chest as he bares his teeth.

“What the fuck,” Jongdae mutters, unbuckling his seatbelt as he inches back towards Sehun, away from Jongin. “Um why is he acting like a fucking dog?”

“A fucking hunter,” Jongin spits, rearing back, looking like he’s preparing to launch himself through the open window.

“Jongin, hey!” Sehun says loudly and Jongin halts, tilting his head, though he doesn’t stop growling. “He’s with me. He’s not going to hurt us. I swear on Baekhyun’s life, on my life even.”

The man outside the car instantly settles down, even smiling at Jongdae, and the hunter can only stare in disbelief. “Okay,” he says simply, stepping back. “I’m just going to lock up and we can go.”

Jongdae watches as Jongin sprints back up the pathway leading to the house before whipping around to Sehun, who’s very clearly trying to hold back laughter. “What the _fuck_?” he hisses, slapping Sehun in the chest when he can’t stop himself snickering. “Seriously. What just happened?”

“He’s a familiar,” Sehun answer between his laughter, like that explains the behaviour.

Jongdae doesn’t get a chance to ask further when a whine from outside of the car gets his attention, and he leans out to look down at a gorgeous Husky sitting on the curb, and he winces as it paws at the back door, claws scratching the paint with a sound that slides down Jongdae’s back in a shiver. Sehun opens the door with a waggle of his fingers and Jongdae swings back around to him, looking at him like’s crazy.

“A familiar can change forms,” he says, smug grin on his face and Jongdae drags his palm down his face.

“Oh my fucking god,” he whispers.

The Husky – Jongin, he corrects in his mind – jumps into the back seat, turning around a couple of times to find a comfortable spot before settling down, letting out a high-pitched whine when Jongdae and Sehun keep staring. The witch clears his throat, turning to face the front of the car again and Jongdae does the same, buckling his seatbelt again as Sehun resumes their drive to Suwon, his mind still reeling.

“Familiars prefer to be in their animal form if they’re stressed, or any heightened emotional state,” Sehun says, probably just to fill the awkward silence.

 

“That makes sense,” Jongdae lies. None of this makes sense to him, but he nods along.

_“Are you alright?”_ Sehun asks through their connection, his voice loud and clear in Jongdae’s mind.

_Yeah. Just wondering what we’re walking into._

Sehun glances behind him for a moment, eventually letting his hand move to rest on Jongdae’s thigh once again. The hunter likes how large warm it is, a comfort to the both of them. “ _Jongin will be able to scent him once we’re close enough,_ ” Sehun pauses when he takes an off-ramp. “ _Baekhyun has somehow blocked him from sensing him like he normally does.”_

Jongdae raises his brows at that. _They can sense each other from afar?_

_“Yes. They have a far more powerful bond than we do.”_ If Jongdae didn’t know any better, he’d say Sehun sounded disappointed.

_Right. So what do you think this is?_

Jongdae waits a full minute for an answer, turning to look at Sehun directly when he doesn’t reply. The witch’s jaw is tense and Jongdae frowns. _What? Do you know something?_ He eventually projects to Sehun, frown deepening when Sehun flinches slightly.

“ _No I just…I was trying to look into what Baekhyun was doing in Suwon and I noticed there was a group of…”_

_Of what? Vamps?_

_“No,”_ he replies, sounding reluctant. “ _There was more than six hunters in the area.”_

 

Oh. Jongdae leans into his seat further, not expecting that at all. Sehun thinks a hunter has gotten Baekhyun. If it was Jongdae, before all of…this, he would’ve tried to kill Baekhyun without a thought. Now he knows that Baekhyun is powerful, not as powerful as Sehun but more than enough to handle himself, so he wonders what could’ve happened to him. He’s not dead, but he’s clearly not roaming free.

 

_You think he was kidnapped?_ Jongdae looks over to Sehun, who nods jerkily. His fingers twitch against Jongdae’s leg. _What would hunters want with Baekhyun?_

“ _Lots of things,_ ” he replies curtly, and Jongdae doesn’t push further.

 

They’re only in Suwon for five minutes before Jongin shifts into his human form, scaring the living hell out of Jongdae when he taps him on the shoulder.

“Can I have a drink please?” he asks quietly, and Jongdae passes a water bottle over silently. He takes a few gulps. “I can smell him.”

“Really?” Jongdae asks, surprised.

“Yeah,” Jongin replies, sniffing the air. “Pull over Sehun.”

The witch complies, flicking the lights off after he kills the engine. Jongin keeps sniffing innocuously, eventually hopping out of the car as he searches for Baekhyun, the other two following suit. Jongdae runs his fingers against the gun in the back of his waistband as they trail after the familiar, walking through the calmer back alleys, the air warm and slightly stuffy.

They let Jongin lead them to an old factory, a few windows spilling light onto the ground outside. Jongdae feels his stomach swoop in anticipation, adrenaline already starting to pump through his veins.

“He’s in there,” Jongin whispers, ice-blue eyes darting all over the place. Jongdae can feel the nervousness rolling off the familiar.

 

Getting themselves into the warehouse is almost too easy, the doors unlocked. Whoever is in there is either expecting company or stupidly forgot to lock up behind themselves. They slip in relatively quietly, closing the door gently behind them, walking down the concrete hallway, dingy and a few degrees cooler than outside. The crunch of gravel beneath his boots makes him wince, wishes there was something that would soften the sound. He can hear the distinct sounds of someone’s fist connecting with flesh, albeit muffled through wall. Sehun seems to be antsy as well when Jongdae checks on him, constantly looking behind him, fingers twitching the way they do when he’s getting ready to pull on his power. The sound becomes louder the closer they get to the end of the hallway, the room at the end on the right filled with a red glow that extends out of the doorway. Jongdae thinks it’s ironic, the colour of the lights, filtered by plastic curtains that conceal what’s behind them.

Jongin stays behind them as they approach the entrance, Sehun and Jongdae locking eyes for a moment.

_“You ready?”_ Sehun’s voice is calm in his mind, soothing his nerves a bit.

_Yeah_. _Let’s do this._

A loud grunt sets them into motion, pushing the curtains aside and rushing into the room, Jongdae taking in as much as he can as quickly as he can. He can see Baekhyun, hands cuffed behind the chair he’s also tied to, his face only partially visible behind the giant lump of a man obscuring their view of the witch. The man brings his closed hand down against Baekhyun’s face again and he lets out another groan, and Jongin echoes a similar sound, startling the man from where he was about to land another punch. He straightens, cracking his knuckles as he turns to face them, and Jongdae gets a good view of the other half of Baekhyun’s face, his eyes completely swollen shut, skin marred by large bruising and swelling. There’s blood dripping from where the man had broken skin, running down the witch’s neck as he breathes heavily.

“You here to join the witch?” the man says, sneering, and Jongdae recognises him from Kyungsoo’s bar, a thread of panic rippling through his body.

“Let us take him with us,” Sehun says calmly, moving in front of Jongdae, “And we won’t harm you. Nor will we follow you if you leave now.”

“Ah,” the other hunter sighs, flexing his fingers as he inspects his knuckles, the skin split and bleeding as well. “But you see, this witch here is quite powerful and if you’re here to help him, it must mean you are also just as powerful.”

The man doesn’t give them a chance to respond, rushing Sehun without a second’s thought. Jongdae’s heart is racing, feet rooted to the spot as the two go down in a mess of limbs, grappling each other for the upper hand. He sees Jongin rush over to Baekhyun, gently cradling his neck to lift his head up, and then his attention is brought back to Sehun, his heart dropping when he sees the hunter punching Sehun right in the centre of his chest, the sound of bones cracking loud to Jongdae’s ears. He can see a ripple of blue energy that pulses over Sehun’s skin, making him gasp, the magic skittering from the hunter’s fist. He’s clearly used some magic to enhance himself and Jongdae feels sick as he lands another blow, rendering Sehun incapacitated as he falls limp, letting out a whimper through clenched teeth as whatever magic the hunter is using course through Sehun’s body. Jongdae doesn’t think.

He pulls out his semi, cocking it, aiming once the hunter looks up at the sound. He takes a deep breath in, tries to stop his hand shaking as the hunter starts to run towards him. It’s like time jumps, one second he’s aiming the gun at the hunter running at him, the next his ears are ringing, gun smoking as the hunter drops to his knees, hands closing around his neck as he stares up at Jongdae with wide eyes, blood spilling over his fingers. Jongdae doesn’t remember aiming for his neck, but bile rises up in his own throat as the other hunter makes these cut-off noises, choking on his own blood. The hunter drops face-down, twitching as he bleeds out, and Jongdae whirls around running for somewhere, anywhere, as he vomits, shaking with the force of it.

He makes his way to the closest wall, leaning his back against it and sliding down, willing his stomach to settle. He’s never killed another hunter before, why would he? But look at him now, killing his own kind. He closes his eyes.

Cold fingers wrap around his knee and Jongdae screams, looking down and expecting to see the other hunter – it’s only Sehun though, a tiny line of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

“Dae,” he says softly, albeit hoarsely. He pulls himself up to sit next to Jongdae, pulling the hunter into his arms. “It’s okay.”

Jongdae shakes his head, curling into Sehun’s chest, replaying the last few minutes over and over in his head, like a broken record repeating itself. He can feel himself starting to hyperventilate but it’s a faraway feeling, like he’s floating outside of his body. It’s a strange sensation, but he’s starting to feel dizzy and his vision is starting to spot.

_“Dae.”_

A projection of the view from Sehun’s bed fills his vision, like he’s in the bed himself, a bright sunny morning greeting him; a cheery, happy feeling accompanying the image, with Sehun next to him as he leans in to press a kiss to his temple. It feels real, too real, and he realises Sehun is doing it in reality as well, the gesture calming him down somewhat.

“Let me see please,” he whispers, and the image fades back to the dingy warehouse, the other hunter laying prone on the ground, Jongin having untied Baekhyun and now looking for the keys to the cuffs on the hunter’s body. Jongdae feels a fresh wave of nausea roll through him.

He focuses instead on Sehun, who’s staring down at him with such concern that Jongdae surges up to kiss him, affection coursing through him so strongly that it takes him by surprise. “Thank you,” he says eventually, tucking his head back underneath Sehun’s, finding comfort by being in his arms.

“I should be thanking you,” Sehun says, resting his cheek atop Jongdae’s head. “You saved my life.”

Jongdae wishes he could feel more joy over it. Instead he just closes his eyes, tries to remember that cheery feeling Sehun had projected with his vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun will be in the next chapter more I swear ;; I also just love the thought of jongin having correlating traits of a husky in his human form uhu
> 
> this is also late again sdsdjskdgfjkl and the ending is shit as I'm so sorry T T


	12. Chapter 12

The ride back to Sehun’s apartment is stifling, uncomfortable. Baekhyun is breathing heavily in the backseat, leaning his upper body against Jongin who is rubbing Baekhyun’s arm in a comforting manner. Jongdae meets Baekhyun’s good eye in the rearview mirror, curls his lip at the smirk the witch gives him, like this whole situation is amusing to him. Jongdae focuses back at the expanse of road ahead of them, unwavering, as the road stretches to six lanes, the traffic increasing the closer they get back to Seoul. He feels a strange sense of calm wash over him when Sehun parks in his designated spot in the garage, walks on slightly wobbly legs as he trails after the others. It’s like he can’t fully focus, and there’s a ringing in his ears he didn’t realise before. He watches as Jongin carries most of Baekhyun’s weight as they follow Sehun into the elevator, the latter witch stopping the door from closing with a hand as he beckons for Jongdae with his other.

 

“We couldn’t have just used magic to get there?” Baekhyun snarks, the first to properly break the silence between the four of them.

“I can’t take all three of you at once,” Sehun says, voice more quiet than Jongdae’s ever heard. Jongdae keeps his eyes on the floor numbers as they start to climb. _Five, six, seven…_

“I could take Jongin and you could take pretty little _hunter_ here,” he says, projecting his voice to make sure Jongdae heard him, as if he couldn’t before. _Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five._

“Baekhyun…” Sehun warns and Jongdae closes his eyes.

“What? I’m just saying we’re only using this for _him,”_ he spits. Jongdae takes a deep breath in as he opens his eyes again, focuses on the red glowing numbers. _Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty._ “These filthy things always make me want to hurl. And it’s worse now since I’ve been beaten up by a lowly hunter, like this one you’re so hellbent on protecting, Sehun.”

 

The elevator chimes as the reach the penthouse, doors opening with a soft _whoosh_ , and Jongdae rushes out, stalking to the only door on the sixtieth floor. He doesn’t look back as a bunch of sigils glow before the door, Sehun dropping his magical seals to let them enter, and he does so without so much as a glance at the others, instead makes his way straight to Sehun’s room and in turn, the en-suite. As soon as the door closes to Sehun’s bedroom, their muffled voices cease to reach him, and it’s both better and worse. He doesn’t have Baekhyun’s incessant complaining anymore, but it leaves him alone with his own thoughts, and he’s not sure he can push them away, tamp them down like he’s always done before. He strips out of his clothes as soon as he’s in the en-suite, throwing the clothes on the floor carelessly before stepping into the shower, flicking the water on and adjusting it so it’s set to a scorching temperature.

It’s borderline painful how hot it is, but Jongdae doesn’t care, just lets the heat scald his skin as he stands beneath the spray, watching sweat and grime swirl into the water that pools around the drain. Water sluices down his forehead, into his eyelashes and he closes them so it doesn’t get into his eyes. Memories surface before he can stop them, having to re-watch behind his eyelids the hunter clutching at his neck, the blood pooling around his twitching body. And for what? Another witch who has no care whatsoever that Jongdae had just killed a fellow hunter, another _human,_ something he has never done before, _especially_ for a supernatural being.

He swallows down bile that’s threatening to make an appearance, tilts his head back and runs his hands through his hair. When he brings his head back down and opens his eyes, Sehun’s right in front of him, completely bare, eyes searching Jongdae’s. The witch takes a step forward slowly, like Jongdae will move away if he’s too fast, then another until water is rolling down his chest, Jongdae tracking the droplets’ journey down the planes of Sehun’s stomach, catching and connecting in the hair on his legs.

“Dae,” he calls out softly but he doesn’t look up, even when Sehun’s arms come up to wrap around him, pulling him to Sehun’s chest. His heart stutters as he breathes in shakily, conflicted by how safe he feels in the witch’s arms. “Do not pay any attention to Baekhyun, okay?”

 

He’s too exhausted to make a snarky comment, so he just nods, eventually wrapping his own arms around Sehun’s waist, the skin of his back warm and dry against his wet hands. Water pools between his face and Sehun’s chest but he pays it no mind, just closes his eyes, and appreciates when Sehun runs his fingertips up and down his back, goosebumps rising beneath his touch.

He doesn’t know how long they stay in the shower, eventually helping wash each other’s bodies and hair, Jongdae cracking a small smile when Sehun bends down to give him better access to the top of his head, scratches his blunt nails through pretty pink and orange hair as the shampoo lathers up and turns a paler version of the colours in the witch’s hair. The water doesn’t get cold once and Jongdae is surprised for all of two seconds when they turn the shower off, until he remembers Sehun has a penthouse apartment that takes up the whole top floor of the building, thinks it must be nice not having to live from hotel to hotel, although Sehun does on occasion for whatever reason.

They step out and Sehun immediately wraps him in a giant fluffy towel, encasing the heat of his own body against the cool air outside of the shower. The witch dries himself off quickly before helping Jongdae, the hunter’s stomach swooping at the extra attention. He’s sure Sehun’s just doing it in case Jongdae breaks down or something, but he appreciates it all the same, didn’t realise how strongly he’d been craving such affection until he’s receiving it, body tingling all over as a pair of too-long sweats are pulled up his legs and a soft worn tee pushed down over his head.

He almost forgets they even have company, that the past twelve hours ever happened, until he and Sehun walk out to the kitchen and Baekhyun and Jongin are seated on barstools at the island in the centre. Jongdae’s steps falter when his eyes meet Baekhyun’s – well one of his anyway. The swelling has gone down a lot but his left eye is still puffy, the bruising yellowed instead of the deep blue and purple Jongdae last saw. It must be healing faster with magic of some sort, but Jongdae really wishes that he could make Baekhyun suffer through it like he would, having to wait weeks instead of hours.

 

“Hello _hunter_ ,” he drawls, voice raspy. He still says the word with such condescension, with so much revulsion that Jongdae almost throws himself at the witch, only held back by Sehun’s hand in the crook of his elbow. “Finished fucking in your post-kill buzz?”

“Baekhyun,” Sehun says, voice low and angry, but the witch ignores him.

“You enjoy it, hunter? Liked taking that stupid oaf’s life?” he continues, pushing Jongin’s hands away from him as he himself leans forward, sneering. Jongdae feels rage wash over him, prickling along his skin as the edges of his vision goes fuzzy.

“I invited you in my home Baekhyun,” the other witch says, shifting his body slightly in front of Jongdae, defensive. “Do not make your presence unwelcome.”

“You get off on it don’t ya?” Baekhyun grins, sharp and ugly with the bruising around his mouth. “Can barely wait until they’ve bled out before you’re all over Sehun.”

 

Jongdae pushes Sehun away before the witch can stop him, launching himself at the other witch who just grins, catching Jongdae as he knocks him off the stool, Jongdae letting out a garbled noise of anger. Baekhyun lands on his back with a grunt, but he’s still smiling up at Jongdae and it incenses him further, lets the rage carry through his motions, brings his arm back and aims for Baekhyun’s jaw, feeling his knuckles connect to bone with a satisfying crack. Seeing pain flash over Baekhyun’s features, his smirk dropping instantly, is incredibly pleasing to Jongdae so he does it again, watches as fresh marks bloom along the witch’s skin.

Hands encircle his forearm before he lands another blow and he looks back to see Sehun holding him, looking just as murderous as he feels. He bodily hauls the hunter off of Baekhyun easily, even when he struggles, lets Jongin pull Baekhyun up to his feet but keeps him in place.

“I warned you,” Sehun is the first to speak up, voice cutting over the sounds of the others’ heavy breathing.

“Fuck you,” Jongdae spits right after, literally spitting in Baekhyun’s direction. “You’re a piece of shit.”

“This coming from someone who kills for a living,” Baekhyun throws back, red marks already darkening to bruises. “You sadistic son of a bitch, you were literally just fucking the second you got back from killing someone.”

 

Sehun’s jaw clicks audibly with how hard he clenches it, his free hand raising up, palm facing the other witch as he calls an incantation. Baekhyun’s body seizes in Jongin’s arms, a soft purple glow emitting from his skin, and Jongin yells the witch’s name as he drops to the floor, his whole body tensed as he shakes. Jongdae watches, rooted to the spot, as Baekhyun convulses, emitting a high keening as Sehun clenches his hand into a fist, Jongin fighting to hold Baekhyun’s head still so he doesn’t knock it against anything. The intensity in Sehun’s eyes frightens Jongdae, and how he doesn’t seem to want to stop any time soon.

Jongdae steps up to the witch, tentatively brings his hand up to Sehun’s cheek, feels his heartrate spike when Sehun focuses his indigo gaze onto him. “Stop,” he whispers, shoulders slumping in relief when his eyes slowly return to their natural colour. He drops his arm and with it the spell ceases, Baekhyun gasping for air as his body goes limp, Jongin harshly whispering in his ear.

Jongdae looks back to Sehun who’s breathing harshly, looking a little too wild. “I warned you,” Sehun says, his voice quiet but loaded. “Do not test me again.”

Baekhyun coughs. “You got me,” he rasps out, easing up into a sitting position. “I’ll leave your pretty little toy alone.”

Jongdae grips Sehun’s shoulders as a pre-emptive measure, so he won’t retaliate. “It’s okay,” Jongdae whispers to him, tightening his hold for a minute. “I just want to sleep, okay?”

“Okay,” Sehun breathes out, looking back to Baekhyun and Jongin. “There is a guest room you may use, down the hall, last door on the right.”

“Thank you,” Jongin rushes out, cutting over whatever the witch in his arms was going to say. “Thank you for everything Sehun. And Jongdae.”

Sehun nods stiffly, wrapping an arm around Jongdae and leading them back into his room, letting out a deep breath once the door is closed behind him.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun starts, leading the hunter to the bed and pushing him down onto the comforter. “I didn’t mean for my emotions to get the best of me.”

“It was…something,” Jongdae says, smiling softly as the witch yanks the sheets out from beneath him and jumps in after, cuddling up to Jongdae’s side and leaving a trail of kisses along his arm and up to his shoulder. Jongdae feels so exhausted, emotionally and physically spent, but Sehun’s touch eases away any aches, and he’s too tired to fight with himself now; he lets himself be tucked under the blankets, turns on his side so he can wrap his arms around the witch as well, tangling his leg between Sehun’s. He feels safe in the circle of Sehun’s arms, and sleeps comes easily for him, the press of Sehun’s mouth on his neck pushing any other thoughts from his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first off I'd like to say I'm sorry to those who are reading this and expected a chapter up last week and was expecting one up on time this week! :( life has been so hectic and a little depressy but also exo's comeback teasers are driving me crazy I'm so excited for new content omgggggggg
> 
> second of all I'm doubly sorry that this isn't long! I've been working on a couple of smaller fics for halloween so I hope that makes up for it ahahaha xx


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg hello I'm alive! I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated this fic ;; life has been more hectic than I anticipated (I've been doing double shifts and I'm in my last week for a course so at least that will done after this week ahahaha T T ) and I've just been stumped about how to push through this chapter but uhh...here we are??

Baekhyun doesn’t try any shit thankfully for the next few days as he recovers, even so much as acts congenial towards Jongdae when they have a shared – albeit awkward – breakfast. Sehun doesn’t apologise for what happened and Baekhyun doesn’t acknowledge it either, and there’s always a cloud of tension hanging over the both of them whenever they’re in a room together and are forced to interact. Jongdae is sure that it’s more than what transpired a few days ago though, so he steers clear of them as best he can, instead trying to absorb as much information from Sehun’s massive library whilst searching for any news on the hunter on his police scanner. There’s been no news of a body found, and he’s not sure if it was the hunter’s friends who have covered up his death or if it was Sehun, because Jongdae is ninety percent sure he would do something like that for him. It still has him on edge, the memories creeping into his dreams to wake him in the dead of night, but Sehun is always there to calm him, wrapping careful arms around Jongdae until he relaxes, his breaths evening out once again.

Jongdae frowns down at the book in his hands, a volume of _Herbology in Witchcraft_ , the page explaining Echinacea and its uses blurring as he loses himself in thought. He should really call Kyungsoo, or even Joohyun. He’s messaged the former to let him know he’s alive and okay, but he just…needs to talk to someone. About what the fuck he’s doing, reading up on fucking herbology instead of breaking through this weird bubble of fear he’s trapped himself in ever since he killed…that man.

“Must be a very interesting read,” a voice says beside him and Jongdae slams the book closed in surprise, a small cloud of dust puffing up in his face. He turns to face Jongin, still unnerved by his icy gaze that pierces him to the spot. He’s probably not even trying to look intimidating, but.

“It is,” he agrees, happy that his voice comes out even. “Herbology seems to be a big part of Sehun’s work.”

Jongin cocks his head to the side, licking his lips slowly as he studies Jongdae, like he’s a puzzle Jongin has to figure out. “You ever been with a witch before Jongdae?” he asks out of the blue and said man’s face scrunches up in confusion.

“Uh, no…Why?”

Jongin hums, like he expected the answer. He moves closer, their shoulders brushing each other Jongin turns his gaze to the bookshelf before them. “I’ve been with Baekhyun for a very long time,” he says softly. “He’s not as bad as you think he is.” Jongdae can see his smile from his peripheral vision when he snorts at that. “I know he doesn’t seem like it but he’s had a long history with Sehun so naturally they drifted apart. But I’ve been by Baekhyun’s side for centuries. I’m not sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into by entangling your life with Sehun.”

Jongdae crosses his arms, twists to face the familiar properly. “What do you mean? You seem to be just fine,” he says, doesn’t intend for it to come out as defensive as it sounds.

“I’m a familiar, I’m supposed to be by a witch of my choosing’s side for my whole life,” Jongin replies easily, mirroring Jongdae’s stance as they stare at each other. “That is my life by design, but you’re a hunter. The complete opposite of Sehun. You kill creatures like him, like myself.”

“That’s not…true,” he mumbles but he knows Jongin is right.

“I know you won’t harm Sehun, and hopefully Baekhyun any further. But you are still of the mindset that all monsters are monsters, are you not?” Jongin asks, not unkindly, just like he’s talking about weather. “I’ve seen other witches form intimate bonds with hunters and they…never end well. Hunters and witches are too unalike to make it work.”

Jongdae doesn’t like the way Jongin makes him out to be this cold-blooded hunter, hellbent on killing every monster that he sees. He hasn’t killed Baekhyun yet, and he’s most deserving of Jongdae’s wrath. Surely that should show Jongin that he and Sehun are at least compatible enough and – wait.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asks quietly.

“Because I fear you are both falling headfirst into something that will not end happily. You are a strong hunter Jongdae, and you saved my Baekhyun’s life so I am indebted to you, but don’t mistake my friendliness as acceptance for what you and Sehun have. It will be messy and catastrophic.”

Jongdae raises his eyebrows, letting out a puff of air in disbelief. “You don’t think that’s a little dramatic?” he croaks out.

Jongin raises his eyebrows too, looking at Jongdae like _he’s_ the strange one. “You think it is dramatic when you are fucking one of the most powerful witches in the world?” he counters. “What if he kills one of your hunter friends? What if you break up with him because of it? You don’t think he’s already quite attached to you Jongdae? Do you really think he would not destroy everything in his path to get to you?”

Jongdae gapes at the other, completely shocked, but Jongin barrels on. “One step in the wrong direction for you both and it spells disaster. You are just not suited for each other. I fear what would happen if this were to go on.”

Jongin takes a step back as he breathes in, looking down at his feet. “I apologise,” he says. “I know it is not my place but I thought you should know. You are in dangerous territory being with him.”

 

He doesn’t let Jongdae reply, just spins on his heel and leaves as quietly as he had come. Jongdae just watches until he disappears from sight, reeling from his words. What exactly does he even have with Sehun though? They don’t really know each other, in all honesty, but he’s learning more the longer he spends time with Sehun, and is opening up more in return. And he knows it’s wrong, wanting Sehun as much as he does, but he can’t help himself. He’s at war with himself constantly, wanting to be close to the witch even though he knows that what he does and is, is unnatural by the way Jongdae has been brought up.

He ambles to one of the few seats Sehun has in the giant ass fucking room, the one next to the windows, and settles into it, uneasy at Jongin’s outburst. Is it really going to end that badly if they keep doing what they’re doing? What _are_ they even doing? Jongdae isn’t really sure but his thoughts always drift back to Sehun one way or another: would Sehun know about this spell? Does Sehun care if he uses the softest towels in his linen cupboard? Would he like some of his kimbap?

It’s frighteningly domestic where his thoughts lead him, down that stupid rabbit hole where he can see himself waking up in Sehun’s bed, sitting on opposite sides of the desk in the study whilst they both do their own research, cooking meals or working small spells together. Together. It doesn’t last long, the rose tint over the scenarios playing out in his head always turning sour, always warping to them arguing or worse, antagonising each other to the point of physical attacks. He doesn’t think it would happen, that Sehun would go that far, but it is easy to imagine when he’s seen what Sehun can do without feelings involved at all. Imagine if he let his feelings take over in a moment like that?

 

 

Jongdae doesn’t realise how much time has elapsed until he’s startled out of his blank staring at the now dark cityscape by a hand on his shoulder, and he whips his head around to Sehun looking down at him, perfectly amused by his reaction. “What were you thinking about so intently?” he asks softly and Jongdae shakes his head in response. He doesn’t want Sehun to know his fears have been reaffirmed by a familiar. “Well whilst you were staring at nothing I’ve made you something. Come have a look.”

He holds a hand out and Jongdae takes it, dumbstruck. He appreciates that Sehun doesn’t teleport them to his room, letting Jongdae walk comfortably side-by-side with the witch in peaceful silence. Sehun closes the door once they’ve crossed the threshold, gesturing for Jongdae to stay where he is as he grabs whatever it is that he’s created.

“Close your eyes,” he calls out and Jongdae huffs, but acquiesces, feeling off-balance without his vision.

He can hear Sehun moving around, but the cold press of metal against the hollow of his throat has him gasping in surprise, feeling it move up higher as a soft material runs along the sides of his neck. Sehun clasps the necklace with ease, letting it fall in place once he’s finished and whispers a “ _look_ ” from behind Jongdae. The hunter looks down, picking up the amulet so he can inspect it more closely. It’s a sigil, two lines entwined over and under each other like a complicated knot, made of pure silver from what Jongdae can tell. It has a very soft purple glow, only seen in the low light of the room and Jongdae’s heart leaps into his throat, suddenly choked up at the gesture.

“I made a sigil for you,” Sehun whispers, lips brushing the shell of his ear, hands resting softly on his waist. “ _Es securus_. It’s to keep you safe.”

“You –” Jongdae doesn’t know how to catalogue the emotion he’s feeling. “Thank you, Sehun. Really. I –”

He turns in Sehun’s arms and kisses him straight on the mouth, overwhelmed with whatever it is that’s filling his chest, bursting at the seams. The witch kisses him back just as fervently, like he feels just as Jongdae does, grips him that much tighter when Jongdae bites on his lower lip, smoothing over the sting with the swipe of his tongue. Sehun's mouth is hot as it moves down to press against his neck, sucking and kissing as his spindly fingers work to unbutton Jongdae's flannel. He lets out a hiccupped moan when Sehun sucks on a sensitive spot and he can feel the vibrations of the witch's laugh before he sucks harder, trying to draw as many noises from Jongdae as he can.

He leads the hunter to the bed - another fancy set of impossibly soft sheets Jongdae notes absently - and pushes him back, watching Jongdae fall into the pillowy comforter with a wicked smirk. Jongdae licks his lips as Sehun pulls his own shirt over his head, his toned chest and torso something he'll never get used to, the rest of their clothes following straight after. Sehun's eyes glow purple as he mutters an incantation, their clothes lifting off the ground and folding themselves in a neat stack in the corner of the room.

Jongdae lets his legs fall open, lets Sehun settle between them, sliding his hands up over the witch’s shoulders to rest on either side of his neck, pulling him back down into another searing kiss, feels hot all over when Sehun presses a firm palm to his hardening cock, his groan muffled by Sehun’s mouth. He easily works Jongdae up, knows just which way to flick his wrist, knows how hard he needs to suck around Jongdae’s nipple piercings for it to be pleasurable and not painful. Jongdae tries to give as much back as he’s getting, thumbing the vein running the underside of Sehun’s cock that never fails to make him moan in surprise, but Sehun seems intent on trying to elicit as many responses as he can get from the hunter, and it doesn’t take long for Jongdae to be fully hard, too worked up to care about how desperate he sounds when he whines. The sigil glows brighter when Sehun touches it with gentle fingers, whispering “ _ego sum diligens vos_ ” as he stares intently into Jongdae’s eyes, the air between them thick with emotion.

There’s a moment there, with Sehun looking down at him with such intensity, like they are suspended in time and they could stay there for eternity, and Jongdae wishes he could imprint the way Sehun is right now into his memories forever, burn it into his retinas so he can never forget. His chest keeps swelling with this feeling, so deep and strong as it inflates and he struggles to find his breath. Sehun’s fingers trail slowly down the centre of his chest, sensual grazing of his fingertips over his stomach with purpose, smiling softly when Jongdae twitches in sensitivity.

When Sehun takes him in hand again he moans unbidden, unabashedly loud in the room, hips bucking up into the friction of the witch’s grip, his lids dropping further even as Sehun continues to watch him like he can’t get enough. The hunter’s mind keeps running a million miles a minute, his thoughts all clanging around too loudly in his head as Sehun produces a bottle of lube out of thin air, his fingers receding from Jongdae’s dick to instead uncap the bottle and pour out a liberal amount, throwing the bottle down on the bed beside Jongdae’s leg. He gently opens Jongdae’s legs wider, circles Jongdae’s rim with cold wet fingers, making him jump.

“Relax,” Sehun whispers and Jongdae nods, exhaling shakily as a single digit presses past the ring of muscle, the witch picking up a steady in and out rhythm as he watches for any sign of discomfort. Jongdae mumbles for him hurry up and he chuckles, all soft and sweet and Jongdae’s heart is going to burst with the affection he has for the other man above him.

He pushes another finger in, carefully working Jongdae open as he picks up the pace, fucking Jongdae faster when his moans start climbing higher in pitch. Jongdae’s back arches when Sehun eventually adds a third finger, overwhelmed with how good Sehun’s fingers feel when they press against his prostate in such a pleasurable way and how much he feels for the witch.

“You okay?” Sehun asks and Jongdae screws his eyes shut at the concern in the other’s voice, just nods his head quickly.

 

It hits him when Sehun’s lips press languidly against his own, soft and sweet.

 

Jongdae thinks he might love Sehun.

He's in love with a witch.

He pulls out of the kiss with a gasp, his heart pounding in panic at the realisation. A strange numbness passes through his body even as Sehun continues to kiss down to his clavicles, sucking harshly against his left pectoral, leaving dark marks as if to leave a reminder to him and to the world that _this is mine_. The witch pulls his fingers out with a lewd sound to instead line his dick up and Jongdae can’t do it like this, can’t have Sehun seeing him break down.

“Wait, wait,” he says, quickly flipping himself over and onto his knees, head pillowed on his forearms. “Okay.”

Sehun presses such light kisses down Jongdae’s spine as he gently pushes the head of his cock into his hole, hands smoothing down his hips and thighs soothingly, and it takes all of Jongdae’s control not to cry at the tenderness. Sehun is a being that Jongdae is supposed to hunt, not fall in love with.

The witch rocks in slowly, letting Jongdae adjust with a slow steady pace, even if his breathing is a little strained. He bottoms out with a sigh, draping his body over Jongdae’s, arms on either side of the hunter’s ribs as he peppers kisses over the skin of his shoulder. His touch is both fire and water, painful and soothing – it’s the source of both his hurt and comfort. He feels dizzy, failing to draw in deep enough breaths, and he realises too late that he might be having a panic attack or something similar, his chest starting to heave. He tries to keep it in, tries to tamp it down and instead focus on how full he feels, how warm and soft Sehun’s skin is against his own, but his mind just keeps screaming _wrong wrong wrong_.

A sob escapes his mouth and Sehun halts moving altogether, his head moving away from where he had it pressed into Jongdae’s neck and it makes him cry out again because _no_ , he doesn’t want Sehun noticing he’s losing control.

“Dae?” he calls out softly, hands carding through Jongdae’s hair to try and see his face better.

“Don’t -” Jongdae lets out a shuddering breath before he can continue. “ – just, move please. Fuck me.”

“Dae…”

Jongdae starts crying, deep hard sobs that hurt his diaphragm and make it hard to breathe between, and he barely notices Sehun pulling out as gently as he can until the witch is pushing him down onto his side and snuggling up behind him, keeping a distance between their hips as he drapes an arm over the hunter’s chest, a gesture made for comfort in only a platonic way and it makes Jongdae cry harder, his traitorous heart wanting to believe Sehun does this because he loves him too.

 

“Did…did I hurt you?” Sehun whispers once he’s run out of energy to sob, just cuddling and trying to get his breathing under control. His face is hot and his head’s starting to pound, but he shakes his head because _no_ , that is the last thing he wants Sehun to think. He shifts around and manages to press a close-mouthed kiss to Sehun’s chest, tries to convey that it’s not the other man but _him_. “Okay, okay. I’m-I’m sorry Dae. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

Jongdae doesn’t want to hear this now, can’t hear this now. His heart aches at the affection filling Sehun’s voice, and wishes this wasn’t as hard as it feels.

 

-

 

“I’m not going to stop being a witch,” Sehun whispers long after the moon has risen further, casting a cool dim light over his body as he rests on his side, his eyes glowing dimly like he can’t help it. Maybe with the full moon he can’t.

“I know,” Jongdae says just as quietly, shifting his gaze from the witch beside him to the ceiling of Sehun’s room.

Sehun’s fingers graze along his diaphragm, drawing useless sigils into the skin until goosebumps rise. “What are we doing then?” he asks, voice thick with emotion. “This is who I am, who I was born to be, and you the same.”

Jongdae sighs. “I know.” He just doesn’t know what he should do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I think this is sort of the start of the end for this fic! I finally have a more structured outline for what happens hereon out so hopefully I'll be able to post up chapters more frequently again!
> 
> also just used google translate for the latin 'ego sum diligens vos' which was supposed to say I love you bc sehun is a softie ;;
> 
> I hope you guys are liking it! please let me know if you do I'm v insecure lmao ><


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow I can't believe it's been TWO MONTHS since I posted anything on this fic I'm sorry to the few of you who have been reading it ;; I've struggled a lot with this fic over the past couple of months but taking a step back I think has helped a bit~ hope you enjoy xx

Jongdae barely sleeps, and what little rest he gets is fitful, tossing and turning as Sehun sleeps peacefully beside him. It’s barely past sunrise before he’s had enough, untangling the sheets around his legs as the sun’s rays begin to peek through the windows, quickly throwing his clothes on as quietly as possible. His heart pounds like a drum as he sneaks out of Sehun’s room, tip-toeing down the hallway with his shoes in his arms to the guest room he’s sure Baekhyun and Jongin are residing. He knocks softly, not expecting much of a response, but jumps back in shock when the door opens to reveal a very sleepy Jongin, hair sticking up every which way as he rubs at one eye.

“Jongdae?” he calls louder than said man would have liked and he cringes, shushing Jongin.

“Does Baekhyun have a phone number?” Jongdae asks, getting straight to the point. He might chicken out if he doesn’t do this right now.

“Uh yeah. Why?”

Jongdae rolls his eyes, huffing impatiently. “I don’t have time. Can I have it or not?” he asks.

Jongin’s ice blue eyes pierce him, now more awake, as he assesses him, letting Jongdae fidget under his unnerving gaze. “Alright,” he says eventually, moving away from the door and in doing so letting Jongdae take a deep stabling breath. He comes back with a piece of paper in his hand, holding it out between slender fingers. “Here. Don’t call unless you desperately need him. He doesn’t like his time being wasted.”

“As if I would call him for a chat about the weather,” Jongdae scoffs but clears his throat at the look Jongin gives him. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.”

“Going somewhere?” he asks, fingers closing around the width of the door.

“Yes,” he says curtly as he glances sidelong at Sehun’s closed door. “Okay. Bye.”

He doesn’t wait for Jongin to reply, running out of the apartment with his socks softening his footfalls. It’s not until he’s out the front door that he puts on his shoes, hopping to the elevator like he’s escaping a one-night stand, hoping that he didn’t disrupt the warding enough to stir Sehun. The elevator doesn’t stop for anyone on his way down thankfully, and he takes a deep breath when the doors open to the lobby, soft classical music playing overhead barely calming his frazzled mind. He’s so exhausted he doesn’t realise he has no car until he’s out in the open morning air, humid and uncomfortable, and he curses under his breath as he starts walking aimlessly, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He thanks his lucky stars that it still has some charge left and he calls the only person he knows to call.

 

“Jongdae?”

He takes another deep breath in. “Pick me up?”

 

 

It takes Kyungsoo three hours to get to Seoul, having been out on a hunt, and Jongdae could almost cry in relief when he spots the familiar car pull up to the curb where he’s been waiting. Sehun has been trying to contact him for the past hour, his voice growing louder and more panicked in his mind as time goes on, but he ignores the calls of his own name through their bond – and the calls on his phone – and instead gives his best friend a small wave as he rolls down the passenger window to reveal himself.

“Get in bitch,” Kyungsoo says and Jongdae cracks a smile at that.

The road back to Kyungsoo’s bar is a familiar one, comforting in its boring bumpy ride. Jongdae stares out of the passenger window, barely taking in the scenery before him, his mind filled with white static. Kyungsoo turns up the volume when he hears a particular song he likes, belting the lyrics awfully, and it eases the dread clawing through Jongdae’s system, even for just a bit.

It’s nearing nightfall when they reach the bar and Jongdae is more than exhausted, a bone-deep ache that he can’t seem to shake.

“Sorry for ruining your hunt,” he says as they both walk around their respective sides of the car, shoulders bumping occasionally as they walk the couple of steps up and in through the front door. There’s quite a few people inside already, loud and rowdy. “What day is it?”

Kyungsoo raises a very judging eyebrow, but answers, “Friday. Busy day as usual here.”

He nods, making a noncommittal noise as he follows the path Kyungsoo clears through the patrons. They make their way to the bar, Kyungsoo leaning on it until the man working finds him, and Jongdae witnesses Long Legs break into a bright grin, finishing pouring a beer into a glass for a customer before practically bounding over to Kyungsoo to lean over the counter and kiss him square on the lips. Jongdae’s sure his eyebrows meet the roof once they part, Kyungsoo’s face flaming red.

“Hey ‘Soo,” the man says, voice akin to low rumble. Jongdae knew he was exactly his best friend’s type. It’s a good distraction from his pathetic life and he clings to it. Long Legs’ eyes cut over to him. “Who’s this?”

“Jongdae,” Kyungsoo says and said man watches recognition light up in his face. “Jongdae this is Chanyeol.”

“Hi,” Chanyeol says, wiping his hand on the cloth hanging on his shoulder before extending it to Jongdae, who accepts it with a nod and a faint smile. “Kyungsoo never shuts up about you.”

“He never shuts up about you either,” Jongdae lies, smirking when Kyungsoo glares at him. “When he does manage to get a hold of me all he does is talk how long your legs are, how strong your arms are, how – ”

“Jongdae shut the fuck up,” Kyungsoo hisses, the back of his hand whacking Jongdae’s chest. “He’s just bullshitting Chanyeol, don’t listen to him.”

“So you don’t talk about how hot I am to your best friend?” he pouts, making Jongdae snicker when Kyungsoo makes a garbled noise of frustration.

“Why did I even introduce you two, oh my god,” he mutters under his breath. Chanyeol laughs, loud and hearty and Jongdae grins, feels the claustrophobia of his own feelings loosen slightly. “Anyway, could you get us – ”

“ _Jongdae_?”

It’s a soft, sad voice but it cuts through the chatter around Jongdae like a knife through warm butter. He inhales sharply, closing his eyes as Sehun projects an image of himself looking into his bathroom mirror, eyes stricken and hair sticking up in all directions.

“ _Thank god. What the hell happened to you_?”

He can feel hands on his arm, muffled voices floating through the staticky connection he and Sehun share, but he can only focus on Sehun’s face and how panicked he is.

“I’m okay, I’m with Kyungsoo,” he says aloud before cursing lowly, forgetting for a moment that he probably shouldn’t speak his end of the conversation out loud. He flails a hand around until it connects with what he hopes is his best friend. “Kyungsoo can you find a seat for me please? I can’t see.”

The hand tugs him forward and he stumbles into a stool, struggling to get his bearings as he manages to seat himself comfortably, hands staying on the counter to ground him. There’s a panicky sensation fluttering wildly in his ribcage, the mirage of Sehun making him want to run back to Seoul and into the witch’s arms, but it only sets off his panic even more.

 _I’m okay, like I said. I just – I needed some time alone_.

Sehun frowns, looking far younger and more vulnerable than Jongdae has ever seen, no masking of his emotions and Jongdae can’t do this.

 _“Why did you not tell me you were leaving? I thought Baekhyun – I thought the worst. You didn’t answer me at all_.”

 _I’m sorry_.

“ _Is this…about what I said_?” When Jongdae doesn’t answer Mirage Sehun runs a shaky hand through his hair. “ _If I was too, overbearing, or_ – ”

 _No, Sehun. It’s not you_. Jongdae has never heard Sehun so unsure, his voice usually unwavering. _I just need a few days to myself. I’ll talk to you then okay_?

“ _Please keep that chain on at least_ ,” Sehun says, voice small. “ _It keeps you safe_.”

Jongdae swallows hard, fingers slightly trembling as they reach for the necklace around his throat, warm from being pressed against his skin. _Of course_. _I’ll talk to you soon_.

 

The connection drops with a loud pop in his ears and then the noise around him comes back, his vision returning and he instantly focuses on Kyungsoo’s ashen face.

“What the fuck just happened?” he asks and Jongdae rubs the back of his neck, also noticing Chanyeol staring at him like he’s grown a second head.

“Uh, Sehun contacted me,” he says, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Just making sure I was okay.”

“Can we have two gin and tonics Chanyeol, please,” Kyungsoo sighs, rubbing his forehead. Jongdae knows where this is going.

 

After they’ve both grabbed their drinks and Kyungsoo had waved Chanyeol off they make their way into Kyungsoo’s tiny, familiar office. Jongdae heaves a deep breath. It smells like Kyungsoo’s cheap but surprisingly nice cologne, like musty books and liquor. Smells like home.

They sit on either side of the desk, raising their drinks in the air before downing them, burning their throats. Jongdae is more than content to let his thoughts consume him, as jumbled as they are, instead of talking to Kyungsoo, but it seems the latter is far too impatient.

“Why are you here Dae?” he asks bluntly, pursing his lips in thought. “Sorry, that sounds rude. But you made me drop you off what? Two weeks ago almost? At your hotel and then we’re back here again looking like you’ve seen a ghost – ” he cuts Jongdae a look when he snorts. “You know what I mean. What happened?”

Jongdae takes a long time to think it over, to sort through the events of the past two weeks, like a rollercoaster he never wanted to get on but was dragged along anyway. He stares at the wall for the longest time, until he feels Kyungsoo’s hand on his, squeezing gently and he blurts out what he keeps coming back to.

“I love him.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t even look shocked when Jongdae looks over at him. He just stares with an open expression, no judgment and Jongdae feels tears well up quickly, scrubbing at them furiously with his free hand.

“Well that was obvious,” Kyungsoo says softly, trying to lighten the mood. “Why are you here then?”

“Because it’s wrong! Every time I’m with him I war with myself. It’s like on one hand he makes me feel so…safe and, I guess happy, but on the other hand we’re just so incompatible, and I’ve heard that from others too.”

“How? How are you incompatible?”

“He’s a witch and I’m a human who kills things like him,” he mumbles, the words feeling like dead weights. Kyungsoo stares at him, like he’s peeling away all of those fractured layers to the soft, fragile centre of Jongdae’s core.

“You know it’s not that black and white ‘Dae,” he says with another squeeze of his hand for emphasis. “He has been in your life for what? A couple of years now? He’s been pivotal whether you like it or not, and it’s just shifted as to the reason why he’s pivotal.”

Jongdae closes his eyes, his throat hurting from holding back tears. “He created a sigil for me,” he says thickly. “He created it and I panicked and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get past the differences in our lives.”

“You could always…” Kyungsoo trails off, for so long that Jongdae cracks his eyes open to look at him, his expression apprehensive. “Change your occupation.”

“What?” he says, his mind too scrambled for this.

“Or not, but you know you can coexist together, whilst still remaining the same. Nothing has to change except your mindset.” He says it all so softly, encouragingly and for a moment Jongdae’s heart swells with hope, only for him to dash it as soon as it started.

“I don’t think I can,” he whispers, looking down at his lap.

“Then you’ve got to make a decision my friend,” he says and Jongdae nods, remembering the small slip of paper he got that morning, weighted with more than just Baekhyun’s number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this seems filler-y but it's sort of needed? I actually have a weekend off this weekend so I'm hoping to get the next chapter out asap ~  
> I also think there will be max 4 more chapters after this, but I'm not going to put a definitive amount until I know for sure ahahaha xx


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning that this includes using blood in a ritual. I can't remember if I've written warnings before for other chapters sdsfdfldkdl

Jongdae’s car drifts as his brakes try to work against the loose gravel, managing to stop before he hits the factory building right in front of him. He takes a deep breath in, leaning forward after killing the engine to look at the abandoned place. It’s midday and the sun is sweltering so he slips out of the quickly heating car, hand shielding his eyes as he steadies his breathing. This is a stupid _stupid_ idea but it’s the only one he’s got, the only one that should end this and, hopefully, end this ache in his chest he can’t seem to shake.

 

Jogging up the stairs and sighing once he’s in the shade, he glances around himself, fighting the urge to grab for a gun he doesn’t have on him. It was stipulated that for this to happen at all Jongdae was not allowed to bring any weapons, any protection, and it leaves him feeling anxious, jittery like something is going to jump him at any second. His eyes sweep over the dilapidated factories that litter the area, worn down and broken machinery that could hide any number of creatures, shrugging off the feeling that he should check and instead turns on his heel and pushes through the doors, wincing at the way they groan loudly.

There’s plenty of heavy machinery inside, Jongdae squinting as he moves forward, notices the long conveyor belts covered in a thick film of dust. The light shining through the room is muted through the grimy windows, copious dust motes floating through the air. If this silent grubby factory isn’t a perfect place for a murder Jongdae doesn’t know what is.

“You like to take your time, _hunter_.”

The word is spoken in a way Jongdae hasn’t heard in a while from anyone else but the man speaking it now.

Jongdae spots him a moment later, leaning against the wall, clad in all black. When he steps into the light Jongdae can see the bruising has healed around his now normal-sized eye, although the marks around his wrists from the cuffs are still there; Jongdae assumes it’s not healing at a magic-induced pace, probably part of the cuffs’ purposes. Baekhyun saunters up until they meet somewhere in the middle of the room, Jongin hovering to the right.

Jongdae takes a deep breath in. “Baekhyun. Do you have everything you need for this?”

The witch scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. Without the swelling he almost looks handsome. “Of course I do. I’m not stupid.”

There’s a pregnant pause where neither of them know what to do or say, brought together for nothing other than a business transaction. “Well let’s get on with it then.”

 

 

 

“I’m not sure if this will work,” he starts, watching as Jongdae squirms on the uncomfortable floor. “I never had much interest in unbinding spells, let alone ones reinforced by a witch stronger than myself.”

Baekhyun folds his legs beneath himself, fingers dipped in a mixture of oil, rosemary and goofer dust, looking like a demon in those angsty teen novels with his fingers dripping with the black concoction. He uses it to draw a rather simple sigil, constantly checking his spellbook beside him to be sure it’s correct, onto the concrete floor between them, the design close to a pentagram but more linework. Baekhyun’s design is clear and precise and he leans back to inspect his work for a second, nods when he thinks it’s correct, and then rises up to his knees and shuffles around the still drying sigil to be right in front of Jongdae.

“Open your shirt,” he says after a moment of the both staring at each other expectantly. Jongdae purses his lips but does as he’s told, shrugging off his flannel before lifting his tee over his head. Baekhyun whistles, eyes honed on Jongdae’s chest – his nipple piercings. “Nice. Bet Sehun loves those.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he spits, and Baekhyun holds his black-tipped hands up in mock-surrender. “Just – get on with it. Please.”

“It was just a compliment,” Baekhyun snips, reaching back for the jar and dipping his fingers in again. “Lean back on your hands so you can stay still.”

Jongdae jumps at the first touch of Baekhyun’s cool, wet fingers against his diaphragm, resisting the urge to squirm under the gross, tacky feeling. Baekhyun has focused back to his task again, thankfully quiet, and he doesn’t say a word until he’s finished redrawing the same sigil in the centre of Jongdae’s chest. He dips again and focuses his attention to Jongdae’s face, the latter closing his eyes as he lets Baekhyun drag his fingertips gently across his forehead, his cheekbones, the slope of his nose. The smell of the liquid is strange but weak, a faint hint that he smells with each inhale.

“Okay,” Baekhyun breathes out when he’s finished, standing up and motioning for Jongin to bring over the knife he’s brought. “You sure you want this?” he asks again, looking down at Jongdae sceptically, like he knows.

Like he knows Jongdae loves Sehun, like it’s written all over his face, plain as day. Jongdae swallows, looking away. “Yeah, get on with it,” he whispers.

 

Baekhyun watches him for a minute, assessing him – Jongdae can feel his gaze on him acutely – but picks the blade up nonetheless, flipping it over in his palm. “Okay,” he says again, although it comes out high, clearly nervous. “I don’t know if this will work. Sehun is extremely powerful, and far more advanced in this line of work than I am.”

Jongdae nods, feeling like they’re just going around in circles. “I know,” he says, hating how he’s oddly proud of the fact. “I need to do this.”

The witch nods, taking a deep breath in through his nose and exhaling noisily through his mouth as he lines the blade up with the soft flesh of his palm and slices through it, holding it over the sigil drying on the cement. He hands the blade over to Jongdae without looking away from what he’s doing.

“Your turn,” he says simply and Jongdae makes a noise of affirmation, suddenly feeling queasy.

The amount of times he’s been stabbed or shot or tortured and it still stings like hell when that knife cuts through the skin of his own palm, blood welling up to pool in his hand. “What do I do?” he says through gritted teeth and Baekhyun gestures for him to do the same as he is, moving his closed fist in circular motions above the sigil.

As soon as his blood meets the pattern Baekhyun starts chanting, a language Jongdae is not familiar with. Sehun had only ever used latin spellwork, at least around Jongdae anyway, and this throaty language used in this spell makes Jongdae nervous. He’s definitely also nervous because the last time he tried a spell his whole life got flipped on its head and he’s worried it’ll backfire again.

Jongdae startles when Jongin leans over the both of them, completely forgetting he was there at all, to drop a few sprigs and what looks like nuts over their creation. The sigil glows indigo and Jongdae heart leaps into his throat, feels heat sear across his face from the light being emitted.

“Is the heat normal?” he asks and Baekhyun’s chanting doesn’t stop but when he meets the hunter’s eyes he shakes his head, clearly terrified.

“’What heat?’ Baekhyun is asking,” Jongin says softly, clearly concerned.

“You don’t feel that?” Jongdae asks, panic flooding his system. Sweat is dripping down his face.

Baekhyun shakes his head again. “He says…he can’t stop the spell now,” Jongin says, frowning as he focuses on whatever Baekhyun is communicating telepathically. “It’s too risky to stop it mid-creation. What sort of heat is it?”

“I don’t fucking know, it’s hot!” he says as his chest heaves, leaning back to lay on the ground. There is where he realises that the heat isn’t coming from the sigil on the ground, it’s coming from the one on his chest, spreading like wildfire through his veins. “Make it stop!”

“He can’t Jongdae, the ingredients have to burn through,” Jongin says, kneeling beside him and pressing his cool hands to Jongdae’s burning skin. “He says it’s almost finished.”

Jongdae thinks Baekhyun is a fucking liar. He continues to chant his spell, repeats the same four lines as heat licks through every inch of his body, trapped inside as the pain becomes so excruciating he can only scream as he convulses. Jongin pets through his hair, trying to be calm and soothing but it hurts his scalp and he only yells for them to stop, for it all to stop now.

“ _Jongdae_!” His name rolls around in his mind, louder than it’s ever been before. Sehun’s voice booms, like he’s trying to burst Jongdae’s eardrums. “ _What the fuck is going on_!”

_Hurts._ He manages to tell Sehun before another wave of pain washes over him.

“ _Stop it now Jongdae! Please_!”

He’s never heard anything so loud in his life, feeling like his head is splitting in two. _Too loud_ , Jongdae thinks. _Hurts my head_.

Sehun doesn’t respond.

 

It seems an eternity passes before the pain simmers down, receding from his extremities back to the centre of his chest before snuffing out completely and he breathes in short quick bursts of air, his head spinning dangerously.

“Jongdae?” Baekhyun calls out with trepidation, said man cutting his eyes over to the witch when he comes into his peripheral view. “You okay there buddy?”

“Great, thanks,” he rasps out. “Water?”

“Oh!” Jongin says, dashing away swiftly and returning just as quickly with a bottle of water in hand. “Can you sit up?”

His whole body protests as he moves, Jongin’s aiding him with a hand on his back, but he accepts the help easily when the familiar holds the bottle to his lips and tips it gently. He feels scorched inside out and once he’s downed the water he looks down at his hands, surprised to see the skin smooth and not charred to oblivion. In fact his whole body in completely intact, even though it still feels fried.

“It didn’t work,” Baekhyun says, looking down at his hands, rubbing the pads of his thumbs against his index fingers. “I could feel it as soon as Jongin dropped the rest of the ingredients, it wasn’t…enough. It fought but Sehun’s binding is no match for me. I’m sorry.”

Jongdae feels panic trickle back through his system. “What do I do now? Sehun was freaking out.”

Baekhyun’s eyes are wide and frightened when he looks back up at Jongdae, like the fact that Sehun was panicking is the scariest outcome from this. “You should run.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just...not happy with this chapter sighs. You can tell which part I had written AGES ago and which parts I struggled to push through ugh but at least this part is done and I can move on to the more interesting parts ehehehehe


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are y'all! I thought about making this longer but I feel like this is a good spot to end it. enjoy! x

He puts his foot down on the accelerator, hearing the tires squeal as they spin, kicking up clouds of dirt and rock as he rips down the quiet road. He knows Sehun is after him; the witch would know that he was trying to break their bond, would have felt the attempt at severing it with another's magic. A huge gust of wind hits against one side of the car and Jongdae has to grip the wheel tight to make sure he doesn't swerve, watching as a funnel of dust appears ahead on the road.

Dark clouds form, and Jongdae’s heart beats wildly, because the sky was perfectly clear not twenty seconds ago. A bright bolt of purple lightning strikes the road further ahead, so bright Jongdae has to close his eyes to shield them from the assault, crackling and shaking the ground with its force as a large clap of thunder breaks after it’s met the asphalt. And when Jongdae can open his eyes, not even two seconds later, Sehun is standing where the lightning had struck, eyes and mouth glowing with his magic, powerful and terrifying as his gaze hones in on Jongdae.

The hunter slams on his brakes so he won’t hit the witch, whose hands he can see still have little bolts of electricity weaving over his skin in deadly spindles. The car jerks back into place, Jongdae’s neck snapping painfully as he’s thrown forward and then back against the seat with the momentum and he sucks in a sharp breath, quickly changing gears into reverse. He twists to look out of his rear window to see where he’s going, but Sehun is sitting beside him and he jumps, barely remembers to keep his foot on the brake, his heart leaping into his throat at the dark energy emanating from the witch, so strong it’s physically rippling the air between them. Jongdae doesn’t know what to do, so he stays silent, carefully watching the other.

“You really though a lesser witch could break our bond?” Sehun asks, his calm voice at odds with the way he’s vibrating with rage. “You thought anyone other than the head priestesses or myself could destroy the work  _I_ had put into it?”

“I –”

“Why are you trying to destroy it!” Sehun shouts, voice echoing just as loud through the car’s cabin as it does through his mind, their connection, still strong and thriving. It’s almost stronger the closer that they are together and Jongdae swallows audibly, eyes flickering between Sehun’s face and the harsh sunlight bathing the empty street beyond the windshield.

A small hiccupping sigh from the witch has him focusing on him fully, sees glassy eyes, pink, pink lips parted, sees the hurt plain as day all over Sehun’s face as he deflates, defeated. He’s hurt him, smarted his pride, his feelings, started with a small nick at his throat and came back and slashed  larger until he was open, bleeding out.

“Did it hurt you?” he whispers, afraid of the answer.

Sehun’s eyes bore into him, hypnotic in their sorrow. “Like I was thrown in fire,” he says, cold, ruthless, makes Jongdae flinch.

“I’m sorry,” he says, fingers shaking with how nervous he is, how much he’s missed the witch beside him even though it can’t have been more than two weeks since he bolted from his apartment.

“Why-why did you try to break it?” Sehun asks, voice small, his body hunched in on himself. Jongdae sees something broken, something mirrored in himself and his heart aches like a fresh wound, open and gaping in the centre of his chest, and he pulls Sehun into a tight, awkward side hug without thinking it through.

 

The witch slumps into him, inhaling deeply as he twists in Jongdae’s hold, shifting so he can wrap his arms around the hunter and it hurts, hurts because Jongdae feels so _so_ good in the witch’s embrace; almost as if the universe had decided that they were two halves of a whole, not the he believes in that shit really.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers as Sehun ducks his head beneath Jongdae’s chin, tightening his hold.

“I like you a lot, hunter,” he says, the soft confession stopping Jongdae’s heart. “Please don’t do that to me again.”

“Okay,” he agrees quickly, readily. He wants Sehun, wants him so badly; it only took him trying to break their connection to realise it. “Let’s go.”

 

-

 

An uncomfortable air settles between them for the entirety of the drive to Sehun’s apartment, almost as if they were two strangers sharing a cab, and Jongdae hates it. It crawls under his skin, leaving him shifting in his seat far too often, casting his gaze over to the witch who’s staring blankly out of the window as buildings and cars pass by in a blur.

Before he realises he’s parked in the guest spot in the garage and they’re slipping out into the cooling night air, wordlessly following Sehun into the elevator and watching the red numbers increase, slower than he’s ever seen them climb. The witch waves his hand and the warding sigils glow in all of their purple beauty, Jongdae breathing more easily as he crosses the threshold of Sehun’s front door. He had expected the place to look like a tornado had hit it, but it’s as clean as it was before he left, furniture in their exact spots.

His attention snaps back to Sehun when he turns to face Jongdae, such a stark contrast to the wily witch he had caught up with in that house all that time ago; a fearful, cunning creature now looking so unsure, so resigned and he should be happy but his heart just lurches, feeling guilty because he’s the one who’s making Sehun look like that.

“Why did you try to run?” he asks before Jongdae can think of a coherent sentence apart from _I’m sorry_ , and the hunter blinks in surprise before cracking a smile.

“Baekhyun told me to,” he says shrugging, feeling stupid as he says it. “Maybe he was trying to get out unscathed.”

Sehun’s lips curl up at that and Jongdae feels accomplished, a tiny victory that has him feeling weirdly bold. He steps closer, sees the wariness flit through Sehun’s unwavering gaze, another step, another step again until there’s not even a foot between them, both fidgety and uncertain.

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae whispers, staring at Sehun’s exposed collarbones, unblemished skin easier to talk to. “I got scared.”

“You’re still wearing it,” Sehun says and Jongdae frowns, eyes barely managing to look up before they flick back down when Sehun’s fingers ghost over warm metal nestled in the hollow of Jongdae’s neck, the sigil glowing under its creator’s touch.

“Of course,” he says simply, gaze locking with the witch’s, blood rushing past his ears as the hand moves to cup the side of his neck and he’s missed it, craved this touch so much it’s terrifying. But he wants it, wants it more than he can fathom. He closes his eyes. “I – Sehun, I –”

“I know,” Sehun whispers, thumb rubbing over sensitive skin in a comforting gesture and Jongdae frowns because no, Sehun’s been giving and giving and it’s Jongdae’s turn, to at least give a little in return.

“I like you,” he gets out, clearing his throat, heart pounding wildly. “I like you so much even though you’re a witch.”

“I like you,” Sehun parrots, pulling a laugh out of the other. “I like you even though you’re a hunter.”

“I can’t say I’m going to be a piece of cake to be with but I – I think I want this. I want us.”

Sehun’s grin isn’t like his usual smirk, wolfish and cocky – this one is soft, making him look so much younger, and Jongdae can feel himself melting, wasting no more time as he moves in, chest to chest with the witch he’s supposed to hate, supposed to _hunt_ , but has instead fallen for. Sehun’s the one who leans in though, the first press of lips urgent and heated, like he wants to prove something to the hunter; and Jongdae reciprocates just as fiercely, nipping at Sehun’s lower lip the way he knows he likes, hands clinging to fabric of Sehun’s shirt as he’s manoeuvred through the living room and into Sehun’s bedroom, not even bothering to kick the door closed behind themselves.

They only separate to peel off their shirts, then their pants and their briefs, Sehun’s fingers eventually trailing over the sigil still painted on his chest. “Get rid of it,” Jongdae says, like a plea, and with a whispered spell and a flick of his wrist, the tacky mixture is magicked away, leaving his skin clear, lets him breathe a bit easier.

 

His head keeps saying _wrong_ when Sehun ducks down to suck dark bruises into the column of his neck, parting only to push Jongdae onto the bed, but this time he’s able to put it away in a tiny box, lets himself be in the moment, lets himself feel. His back arches off the bed as Sehun rakes his blunt fingernails down his bare sides, pinning him to the bed as his breath washes over his chest. He whines as Sehun immediately closes his lips around his left nipple, tongue rolling over his piercing in lazy, teasing swipes that have him moaning high and needy in his throat. His hands thread through Sehun’s bubblegum pink hair, not tugging but keeping Sehun’s head in place as he pushes his chest up, his own head swimming with the pleasure coursing through him. It feels different this time, the witch’s touch more reverent, as if Jongdae will disappear in a puff of smoke if he doesn’t treat him like he’s fragile.

He moves up from his nipple when Jongdae’s grip slackens, kisses along smooth skin until his lips meet more heated metal and he lifts his head, touches the necklace briefly as he stares at Jongdae with such intensity it makes the hunter’s heart leap into his throat.

“Ego sum diligens vos,” he says and Jongdae almost wants to shy away from him, the conviction in his voice so, so clear. _I’ve fallen in love with you_.

“I –” the words get caught in Jongdae’s throat but Sehun smiles knowingly, full of affection.

“It’s okay,” he says before leaning forward to kiss Jongdae again, dropping the topic in favour of letting Jongdae suck on his tongue as he groans.

Sehun clutches hard at his hips, fingertips digging into the small give there before they drag down slowly, intently, over his thighs to hook around his knees, using his grip to pull Jongdae’s legs up onto his shoulders, pressing down slightly to bend the hunter almost in half, stretching the muscles in the most delicious way. One hand slides down to the swell of Jongdae’s ass to squeeze, pulling a loud squeak from his mouth and another when the witch does it again, releasing the flesh only to grip it again, enjoys the way Jongdae’s breath stutters in his throat.

“Fuck,” Jongdae breathes out, closing his eyes as heat courses through his veins, setting his nerves alight. Sehun takes the opportunity to slap his hand against Jongdae’s ass and he jolts at the feeling. “Ah fuck!”

“Okay?” Sehun murmurs, soothing his hand over the smarting skin and he nods frantically, gripping the sides of Sehun’s face to bring him down for another kiss, messy and heated and uncoordinated as they both try to be as close to each other as possible.

Sehun eventually shifts down, kissing and biting a searing trail down Jongdae’s stomach just to watch him squirm helplessly under his mouth, his eyes glowing that gorgeous purple that Jongdae can’t get enough of as he locks eyes with the hunter, tongue poking out to lick a haphazard stripe up Jongdae’s aching dick. The moan he lets out is so loud he slaps a hand over his mouth, embarrassed, and Sehun laughs, the breath ghosting over the cooling saliva on his cock making him twitch. He doesn’t tease him for too long, soft lips stretching around him as he inches down as fast and as far as he can, throat constricting hot and wet as he swallows, just to get a reaction from Jongdae. He pulls up until only the crown is still in his mouth and Jongdae can barely keep his eyes open but he’s riveted, the way Sehun’s mouth fits so wonderfully around him, and it’s almost too much when Sehun suddenly takes him back into his mouth fully, hollowing his cheeks as his blunt nails scratch lightly over Jongdae’s nipples.

“Jesus!” he breathes out, legs starting to shake from the angle they’re being held at, the way Sehun’s seems to know the exact spot to apply pressure with his tongue, bobbing his head faster and faster. “Ah Sehun – ah, please! I –”

He pulls off with a loud pop, saliva pooling at the corners of his mouth, connecting from the swell of his lower lip to the tip of Jongdae’s cock. “Want me to keep going?” he rasps and _fuck_ , Jongdae doesn’t think he’ll ever be as turned on as he is now.

“Fuck me,” he says, only realising how tightly he’s gripping the sheets when he goes to release them, a slight ache in the joints of his fingers. “Fuck me now please.”

Sehun surges up to kiss him again and he can taste himself on Sehun’s tongue but he just moans, moving one hand to press against the front of Sehun’s pants, his dick heavy and hard against Jongdae’s palm and he breaks away from the hunter’s mouth to groan, eyes closing in pleasure as he ruts into the friction, biting his lip when Jongdae curls his fingers. The latter doesn’t even realise Sehun has procured lube until a cool wet finger slides over his rim and he gasps, hips jerking before relaxing again, letting Sehun tease his finger in slow circles before he finally, finally pushes it in, just as achingly slow as always, pulling it out and then back in, watching for any sign of discomfort.

“Another, please,” he pants, neck arching when Sehun acquiesces, a second finger eassing in beside the first, shallowly thrusting in and out until he’s built up a decent pace, fingers scissoring as they press in to the knuckles. “Sehun.”

“Yes?” he answers, teasing lilt to his voice.

“Come on Sehun – ah!” he breaks off in a high whine when Sehun’s fingers press over his prostate with strong purposeful strokes, his body twisting as the pleasure peaks higher, higher, almost overwhelming –

And then he eases off and Jongdae’s dick twitches pathetically, whining as he relaxes back into the sheets panting, fingers reaching for Sehun, slightly delirious as he fights to catch his breath. A third finger joins the other two this time and he shouts Sehun’s name, chants it in time with the latter’s thrusts, his own fingers clawing at any skin he can reach when Sehun teases over his prostate again.

“Ah – ah! Sehun I’m gonna!” he says breathlessly and Sehun removes his fingers entirely, groaning as Jongdae’s stretched hole clenches around nothing.

“Can’t have you coming before I’ve even fucked you hmm?” he says, eyes predatory, as he gently eases Jongdae’s legs off of his shoulders, tapping his side to get him to lay face down. “Relax ‘Dae. I’ve got you.”

Sehun shoves a pillow beneath his hips, shifting his ass higher in the air with no room to rut down, pours a liberal amount of lube between his cheeks just to hear him yelp before spreading it with warm fingers, using some of it on his dick and then he lines up, sliding the head of his dick over Jongdae’s already sensitive rim a few times. He finally breaches when Jongdae’s hands fly back wildly, urging him to hurry up, and his hands fall to the bed, gripping the sheets as Sehun rocks in further, filling him up so well.

Soft lips caress the skin of Jongdae’s shoulderblade as the witch bottoms out, hips flush against his ass and he whimpers, unable to move in his position, feeling spaced out with how good he feels, and he tells Sehun as much, tells him how full he is, how good Sehun makes him feel, praises pouring out of him as Sehun starts up a shallow rhythm, similar to how he was with his fingers, short and slow grinds of his hips until he picks up the pace, his cock dragging out so deliciously until he’s almost pulled out, then snaps his hips forward to sheath himself fully again.

It punches the breath out of Jongdae’s lungs, his cries gaining in pitch the faster Sehun’s goes, the witch’s dick rubbing against his prostate at the angle. He’s sure Sehun’s done it on purpose, put them in this position for this exact reason, but he can barely think straight, getting fucked like he’s never been before.

“Sehun, ah! Sehun I’m – close, I’m close, oh my god oh my god – ”

The witch fucks into him even faster and Jongdae screams, barely able to hold on as he’s shunted up the bed with each thrust, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as the pleasure begins to crescendo higher, his legs trembling, all too much and not enough.

He comes when Sehun snakes his hand beneath him to wrap around his aching cock, not even getting one pump of his fist around him before he’s coming, scream cutting off mid-way as his vision goes white, white-hot pleasure locking his limbs as he spills over Sehun’s hand and the pillow beneath him. He gasps like a man drowning as he trembles in the aftershocks, sensitive, Sehun barely thrusting as his clean hand strokes down Jongdae’s back soothingly, waits until his breathing is evened out.

“Did you – ?” he asks between breaths, lifting his head to see Sehun shake his head. “Come on then Sehun.”

“I don’t – ”

“Come in me Sehun, come on,” he goads, grinning when Sehun’s eyes flutter closed, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. There’s a sheen of sweat over the skin Jongdae can see and his dick twitches despite having just come.

Sehun starts fucking him again, pulling the pillow out from beneath Jongdae who barely has a second to grimace at the feeling of his come being swiped over his skin before he starts bouncing back as best he can with the angle, with his legs still trapped between Sehun’s. His little hiccupping moans tell Jongdae he’s already close and though he’s so, so sensitive he gives it all he’s got, wants Sehun to feel at least as half as good as he feels.

“Come on,” he moans, keeping his eyes locked with Sehun. “Come for me Sehun, please, please – ”

“Fuck Jongdae,” he groans, his hips snapping once, twice, twitching, and then he’s coming, hips jerking as he bodily collapses on top of Jongdae, gasping like he can’t breathe.

They stay like that for a while, catching their breath, Sehun’s fingers rubbing gentle circles into Jongdae’s wrists, warm and sweet and Jongdae feels…good. He smiles dopily when Sehun mouths at his shoulder again, only wincing when the witch pulls out and he feels come leak out uncomfortably.

“Let’s go clean up,” Sehun says softly and Jongdae nods, lets the other drag him into the shower, feeling all kinds of foolish for even trying to cut himself off from this.

 

He still feels panic flutter through his ribcage when they fall into bed later, Sehun clinging to him like it’s the most natural thing for him to be wrapped around a hunter, but Jongdae focuses on his breath, stares at the flutter of Sehun’s eyelashes as he falls asleep, feels how comfortable the warmth emanating from the witch. Jongdae isn’t there yet, is still fighting with himself, but for now he lets himself relax into the embrace, puts off those thoughts for later because right now, right here Sehun is far more important. He wants Sehun, wants him more than he can understand, so much it's almost worrying; but it's that want that outweighs any of the voices in the back of his mind, clings to it like a lifeline. He drifts off with Sehun's arms around his waist and a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright well I hope you all enjoyed this wild ride of a mess that this fic is. as much as I have hated some of this it's my absolute baby and I've had so much fun writing something new ahahaha this is my first fic that's over 20k so yeehaw fellas I hope it wasn't too loopy and I hope the ending wasn't a letdown ;w;
> 
> anyways, thanks again to my sister for firstly yelling at me to not change it from jongdae/sehun all the way to yelling at me when I kept procrastinating this thing, and to my friend C who has revived my passion for writing over the past couple of weeks it's honestly crazy so thanks lovely. <3 alright anyways if you liked it please let me know! I'm an attention whore lol 
> 
> ALSO there will be an epilogue to this as well! And I'm hoping that it'll be up within the week xx


	17. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay I couldn't stop myself from writing this out and I feel this is a better ending although it is an epilogue ahahahaha I hope you like it xx

“Jongdae on your left!”

 

The hunter pivots, swinging his machete around like you would a baseball bat, both hands gripping the handle as he follows the motion, only realising a second too late that the vampire is just that bit too far for it to be a clean decapitation, his blade only slashing through about half of the vamp’s neck; blood spurts wildly in the air, spraying Jongdae and he blinks rapidly, trying to clear the droplets in his lashes whilst keeping an eye on the vampire who’s reaching out with its elongated nails, eyes wild as it tries to make noise. Jongdae steps back as it steps forward and he swings again, watches the odd projection of the head as it drops faster than the rest of the body, blood pooling around the neck. Jongdae whirls around to assess what they’ve got left.

Three vamps are dead or dying out on the kitchen floor and there’s another three swarming his partner in the large living room and he sprints towards them without a second thought, dodging furniture easily. Sehun’s hands are alight when he claps them together, the sound akin to thunder that cracks through the room, causing Jongdae to falter, entranced at the way the spindling lightning flows effortlessly from the witch’s fingers, bright purple bolts almost an extension of his body. The vampires within reach seize up, bolts coursing through them, but another two vampires Jongdae didn’t see before are just out of Sehun’s zone, circling behind the witch, and Jongdae runs for them whilst they’re focused on the other, moving silently. As soon as he reaches them he wastes no time, raises his arm, notes dimly how his hand is coated crimson, vampire blood seeping into the cuff of his long-sleeved shirt, and swipes through tendon and sinew with ease. She barely manages to screech before she’s cut off, quite literally, and he’s ready for the second vampire as he holds the spine of the machete in his left palm, right hand gripping the handle tight, arms outstretched before him as the vampire lunges.

He doesn’t remember closing his eyes, but he opens them when a solid weight connects with his chest, his breath leaving him in a noisy exhale, watches as the head tumbles to the ground, fangs still protruding from the vamp’s open mouth. It’s grotesque, the blood and muscle dangling limply from where the blade had hacked through, the spinal cord visible. He doesn’t dwell on it.

Spinning around he finds Sehun standing over three charred bodies, watching Jongdae with a dark, intense gaze.

“They’re fried but I’d like to be sure,” is all Sehun says and Jongdae nods, moving closer.

He hands his second machete over to the witch, kneeling down next to one of the vampires, grimacing as his drops his blade, the skin crunching disgustingly under the weight and Jongdae gags, making quick work of slicing through until the head is fully severed so he can step away and breathe slightly cleaner air. He leaves Sehun to deal with the third vampire, instead takes in the house around them. There’s blood everywhere: on the walls, pools on the coffee table, splatters across the television screen, seeping into the cream carpets. It looks horrific and he feels sorry for whoever will eventually stumble across this, across the eight dismembered bodies strewn throughout the main living area.

“You’re covered in blood,” Sehun says softly and he looks over at the witch who’s barely got a few droplets on him. Jongdae shrugs a shoulder before sheathing the machete he’s holding, hand stretching out for the second blade wordlessly.

“Guess that’s what happens when you behead a vamp without electrocuting it first,” he says, grinning, laughs when Sehun’s curls his lip in disgust. He can only imagine how he looks.

“Yes, well, there might be more…finesse to my method,” Sehun says airily and Jongdae snorts, stepping over one of the bodies into the kitchen, turning the tap on and scrubbing his hands under the stream of water, watching blood swirl down the drain. “I don’t think that’s going to help much Jongdae. You’re literally soaked head to toe.”

“Well I would at least like one part of my body to be clean.”

“You could just ask, you know,” Sehun says, giving Jongdae a pointed look when he glances at him over his shoulder.

“It’s fine,” he says and Sehun huffs, both of them having been through this same scenario so many times over the past year or so. Jongdae doesn’t cave and Sehun doesn’t push though, just turns to look out the large window of the living room, through bloodstained curtains to the bright sunlit street beyond.

“You want me to get you to the car?” Sehun asks and Jongdae exhales, nods his head in assent.

 

The witch steps daintily around furniture and heads that are in his path, offering a hand for Jongdae to take. He whispers the all-familiar spell when the hunter’s hand is secure in his own grip, and the next moment they’re in Sehun’s SUV, Jongdae glancing over at Sehun who’s in the passenger seat, smiling softly back at him.

“Where to now?” Sehun asks and Jongdae shrugs, turning the key in the ignition.

“Home I guess,” he says and Sehun hums, flicking the radio on and adjusting it until he finds a station he wants. “Unless we find another nest of vamps along the way.”

Sehun’s laugh is soft and sweet, everything Jongdae needs. “Let’s get back on the road then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you again to everyone who has stumbled upon this fic and has read until the end! I truly hope you enjoyed reading xx


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